By Angela Brown

Local advocates say more support needed for Saskatchewan producers

Aug 13, 2021 | 6:00 PM

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. — Local advocates say the recent announcement of support from the federal government will be a help, but more will be needed to help producers impacted by the dire conditions this year in the agriculture sector.

The federal government announced Aug. 6 that $100 million under the federal portion of AgriRecovery would be available to assist with the immediate “extraordinary costs” faced by producers in Canada due to the drought and wildfires.

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) said while they are still pleased that the Saskatchewan government requested the federal government enact the AgriRecovery program, that amount is not enough to meet the dire need.

“As further effects of the drought are evaluated, more assistance may be needed, possibly in the billions of dollars,” SARM executive director Jay Meyer stated.

Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie echoes SARM’s concerns.

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“Time will tell, but it seems like a small drop in the bucket compared to what is needed to support farmers/ranchers,” he told battlefordsNOW in an email Friday.

The mayor added the economy will be impacted by the devastation to the agricultural industry.

“Our economy is definitely going to take a hit with the lack of dollars spent this upcoming year by the agriculture sector,” Leslie said. “Not to mention increased investment needed for mental health for the entire Ag. sector as this is not going to be easy for anyone, including sector workers and their families.”

AgriRecovery is part of a group of federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) Business Risk Management (BRM) supports under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, according to Agriculture Canada. AgriRecovery is an FPT disaster relief initiative aimed to work together with the core BRM programs to help agricultural producers recover from natural disasters. The main BRM programs are, in part, aimed to help producers deal with the income and production losses they experience when disasters occur. AgriRecovery cannot duplicate or replace assistance provided by these programs.

The federal government is reporting significant drought conditions throughout Western Canada this summer shown on the latest Canadian Drought Monitor report.

Alberta Beef Producers said in an Aug. 12 statement the Government of Alberta requested $203 million for support from the federal government through AgriRecovery to aid producers during this agricultural disaster.

“It is clear across the country that significantly more federal funding will be required to address the substantial impacts of this drought,” the Alberta Beef Producers stated.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow