Last week's meeting of agricultural ministers in Saskatoon wrapped up with the announcement of aid for farmers hit by the recent flood damage across Saskatchewan.
Thursday morning, federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and provincial minister Bob Bjornerud announced at a news conference that producers will receive $30 per acre in assistance to help them take immediate measures to protect, rehabilitate and manage affected cropland and help restore the land for next year's crop.
A total of $450 million is to be made available through AgriRecovery by the governments of Canada, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. It is being funded on a 60-40 split with the federal government contributing 60 per cent towards the funding while the provinces will provide the other 40 per cent.
Ritz said it was "the largest and fastest relief package" to help farmers get past this season. This is in addition to the relief already provided by existing programs including AgriStability. Crop insurance is normally the first line of defence and the existing programs were "firmly in place," Ritz said, but it was apparent to the ministers at the meeting that much more was required.
The federal agriculture minister said farmers had been resilient when it comes to weather, but that the past three years had not been easy, first with drought and now with the moisture.
Ritz said he had toured the area and noticed the "lakes and marshes that have taken over our fields." He said it was apparent to him and to other ministers that many farmers had little hope of a productive crop.
He said the additional assistance will "help to make a difference to the farmers across the affected area."
The bulk of the additional funds will be headed to Saskatchewan to deal with the extensive moisture situation in this province, with the highly publicized flood situation in the southwestern and eastern parts of the province. Alberta, too, has experienced some rains and flooding in parts of that province.
Bjornerud said he appreciates the timely manner of the relief and noted that a large amount is coming to Saskatchewan farmers hard-hit this spring. "Three hundred and sixty million dollars of that is coming to Saskatchewan producers," Bjornerud said.
A wide range of topics were discussed including market access, innovation and other issues, but Ritz said the conversation usually flowed back to "the current moisture situation we are facing on the prairies."
While that issue dominated the meeting, other matters were on the table, including trade. Ministers at the meeting agreed to strengthen market opportunities through innovation, and agreed keeping borders open was key to the industry.
Ritz noted he celebrated Canada Day in China, where Canadian beef was on the barbecue and enjoyed in that country for the first time in a decade. He called that a market breakthrough for cattle producers as Canada was the first and only country to resume the beef trade with China following an outbreak of BSE.
Ministers also agreed to create a road map that would create a number of pilot projects targeted at expanding inter-provincial trade in meat. It is designed to increase processors' ability to move products across the country.
The AgriRecovery announcement was praised by several groups. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says it welcomes the plan, with vice-president of agribusiness Marilyn Braun-Pollon saying the organization is "hopeful it will be delivered in a timely manner and meet producers' needs."
The NDP opposition in Saskatchewan has been less enthusiastic, with provincial Opposition leader Dwain Lingenfelter saying in a statement that the relief was a "slap in the face" to farmers and doesn't come close to covering producers' losses or help them get through the months ahead.
