Farmers in British Columbia who suffered damages from last year’s floods will have access to up to $228 million in federal-provincial government support to help their farms return to production, a Jan. 7 news release says.
“The B.C. agricultural community has pulled together and demonstrated its strength and determination in the face of devastating floods. There is still a long way to go, but the Government of Canada will continue to work with the Government of British Columbia to support our farmers. We are here to help them rebuild,” Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal minister of agriculture and agri-food, says in the release.
The Canada-B.C. Flood Recovery for Food Security Program will be delivered by the provincial government and will use the federal government’s AgriRecovery Framework and Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements.
Farmers can receive funds for:
- Clean-up, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelter, water and waste systems; returning flood impacted land and buildings to a safe environment for agricultural production
- Repair of uninsurable essential farm infrastructure; reasonable repair of on-farm structures such as livestock containment fences, and the rental of temporary production facilities drainage ditches and riprap
- Animal welfare; replacement feed as well as livestock transportation, veterinary care and mortality disposal
- Loss of perennial plants not raised for resale
The release notes the response was designed following extensive consultation with agricultural organizations and individual farmers in the different disaster areas. Farmers who have already undertaken any work are advised to keep their receipts, track the hours of work involved, and take pictures documenting the damage and repairs to support their application.
For more information on the program visit gov.bc.ca/agrifloodrecovery.
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