May 16, 2014 – Swan River, Manitoba - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
A new four-year, $1 million program will help reduce flooding and other damage to agricultural lands caused by beavers, while also educating farmers and other stakeholders about humane removal methods, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn and Robert Sopuck, Member of Parliament for Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette on behalf of Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced today.
“The damage caused by beavers can be a serious hardship for producers and we need to find effective, sustainable and humane solutions,” said Minister Kostyshyn. “This program will connect farmers and landowners with resources to help deal with these challenging situations.”
The Farmland Beaver Damage Control Program will provide farmers and ranchers with information and additional resources to prevent overland flooding and other problems caused by nuisance beavers, including crop loss and erosion.
“Our government supports initiatives that generate economic benefits for the agricultural sector,” said MP Sopuck. “This investment will allow producers to mitigate the negative impact excess water has on their land, ensuring a more prosperous and productive sector.”
The program will include:
- workshops on humane trapping techniques and non-lethal removal methods,
- an informative fact sheet detailing additional tools to manage beaver populations and their effect on the landscape, and
- assistance for non-lethal management techniques, including devices known as beaver deceivers or pond levelers, as well as a beaver removal incentive.
Beaver deceivers and pond levellers maintain water flow but reduce the sound of running water from the mouth of a culvert or the surface of a dam. This has been found to be effective in reducing the damage associated with beaver damming activity. Pond levellers also maintain water depth at a desired level. Both devices allow fish to pass and help maintain aquatic environments.
“Beavers are a problem for many farmers in the province because they can block waterways and impede water movement. This leads to flooding and loss of crops, as well as erosion of farmland,” said Doug Chorney, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. “It's encouraging to see information and assistance will be available now on beaver control.”
Agricultural flooding caused by beavers is highly localized and disruptive for producers. Beavers are an important part of the natural environment but cause significant damage to farmland, private property and municipal infrastructure every year.
“The cost of rebuilding infrastructure damaged by beaver activity can be enormous for municipalities,” said Doug Dobrowolski, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. “Proactive approaches such as those being announced today are a much more effective use of resources.”
Program details are currently being finalized by the Manitoba government and will be available by early summer.
This project is funded under Growing Forward 2 - Growing Assurance. In Manitoba, the federal and provincial governments are investing $176 million under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets.
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