Provincial support for farmers and ranchers

October 23, 2023 – Victoria, British Columbia – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

• The $71 million allocated as AgriRecovery funding is not an estimate of damage from this year’s wildfires and drought. Instead, it has been budgeted to support the most severe possible outcomes.
• Launched in the summer, the B.C. government has partnered with the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association to help farmers and producers affected by drought get hay and feed through the Access to Feed Program.
• To date, 186 B.C. farmers have received more than $7.2 million in support through targeted advance payments from the federal-provincial AgriStability program.
• The Province’s new $20-million Food Security Emergency Planning and Preparedness Fund is supporting the purchase, upgrading and installation of equipment and infrastructure by those who have a direct role in preparing and responding to agricultural emergencies, including farmers, local governments, First Nations, industry associations and other service providers.
• The B.C. government’s new $20-million Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program is helping B.C. farmers adapt to climate change impacts, like increased drought, and grow more food through funding for new and improved water storage and water supply infrastructure.
• A suite of business risk-management programs is also available through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership to support farmers during times of difficulty:
  • AgriStability provides support when producers experience a large income decline
  • AgriInvest provides cash flow to help producers manage income declines
  • AgriInsurance provides insurance against natural hazards (weather) to reduce the financial impact of crop production or plant losses

Related products

• News release: Federal-provincial support helping disaster-affected farmers
• Backgrounder: AgriRecovery supporting British Columbia farmers and ranchers with extraordinary costs
• Backgrounder: AgriRecovery framework