Feds to fund farmers affected by floods

Ottawa, Ont. – Federal and provincial governments have announced that they will offer financial support for farmers and livestock producers whose businesses have been affected by flooding on the Prairies.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) minister Gerry Ritz announced that producers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta will be assisted through approximately $448 million in federal-provincial AgriRecovery funding.

“Extreme weather and flooding is once again hurting our Prairie farmers,” said Ritz. “Governments have come together to develop a relief package that will help producers restore damaged cropland and transport feed or livestock so they can continue to produce the high-quality grains and livestock the world has come to expect.”

According to Ritz, about 14 million acres of cropland have been affected by flooding in the three provinces over the past year.

Livestock tax deferral

The program offers $30 per eligible acre for cropland that could not be seeded as of June 20, 2011, and cropland seeded but flooded on or before July 31, 2011.

Livestock producers can apply for assistance to help cover extra costs such as renting of pastureland, and the cost of transporting feed or livestock. In addition, producers in designated areas whose breeding herd was reduced by at least 15 per cent will be eligible for certain tax deferrals on the sale of breeding livestock for a year, in order to help replenish that stock the following year.

The federal government reports that it is working with the Quebec government to devise a similar financial plan to help producers in that province whose land was flooded this spring.