B.C.’s agricultural sector allowed late participation in income-protection program

B.C. farmers and producers can still participate in AgriStability for the 2022 farming year and have until June 30, 2023, to pay their fees and secure coverage under the program.

AgriStability is a federal-provincial-territorial program that provides support to growers with large financial declines caused by production losses, disease outbreak and increased costs or declining market conditions.

“Allowing late participation in AgriStability will help more farmers manage the impacts of the many challenges they face on their farms,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “I encourage eligible farmers to take advantage of the support available to improve their situation and get back to what they do best – producing high-quality foods.”

A severe avian influenza outbreak affected many Fraser Valley poultry producers in 2022. Some B.C. crop producers have also been dealing with production losses and revenue declines due to extreme weather and abnormally cold temperatures. These challenging conditions were all factors in the decision to enable late participation in AgriStability for 2022.