The federal government has announced $100 million in support of cattle producers across Canada – including in Ontario – whose operations are at risk because of drought and wildfires.
On Aug. 6, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the funding under the AgriRecovery framework, a federal-provincial-territorial program which provides farmers with funding for things like feed, water, or other necessities to keep their operations running.
"There are a lot of farm families across the West and in parts of Ontario who are making tough decisions in a difficult situation. Our Government is working closely with our provincial partners to provide timely support to producers in need,” Bibeau said in a news release.
“Today we are announcing $100 million to add to provincial AgriRecovery initiatives, ready to be delivered as quickly as we can turn around provincial submissions, and ready to seek further funding for requests exceeding this amount.
“We will continue to support farm families to get them through the challenges we face today, and position them for a sustainable future, since we know climate change will continue to pose challenges."
Northwestern Ontario has been experiencing a severe drought for months, which has left many producers without feed or water for their animals, causing some to sell off their cattle to keep afloat.
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Under the AgriRecovery framework, the federal government will match provincial dollars on a 60-40 cost-shared basis under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
According to the news release, the government is working to finalize agreements with each of the provinces involved, and further details will be released shortly.
Bibeau also announced additional regions would qualify for the Livestock Tax Deferral program.
Under that initiative farmers who have been forced to sell a significant portion of their breeding herd can defer a portion of their income from cattle sales to the following tax year, when the income may be at least partially offset by the cost of reacquiring breeding animals.
Farmers facing an impact to their mental health due to stress and uncertainty imposed by the drought are urged to contact The Do More Ag Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focusing on mental health in agriculture across Canada.
