$20 million dollars will be doled out to farmers and ranchers to recover from the adverse effects of this year’s wildfires through the AgriRecovery Framework: Canada-British Columbia Wildfires Recovery Initiative.
General Manager of BC Cattlemen’s Association, Kevin Boon calls Tuesday announcement by the federal and provincial governments as good news.
However, will it be enough?
“We haven’t got a tally on exactly what these costs are going to be. We needed to put a number on something at some point, so we put this on for right now. What’s important is that we’ve identified specific costs to specific needs.”
Boon says he believes that there will be the opportunity if the $20 million is not sufficient to top it up.
He says that both governments have committed to getting the money flowing quickly, and believes the latest it will start is by the end of the month.
The assistance which will be cost-shared on a 60:40 basis between the federal and provincial governments is key according to Boon to not only rebuilding the ranching industry but the communities they live in as well.
It will cover extraordinary costs including:
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- Up to 70% of extraordinary feed costs, including transportation to feed livestock through the recovery period
- Up to $80 per head to re-establish safe winter feeding facilities and general cleanup
- Up to 70% of the veterinary, mustering, transportation and rental of temporary production facilities
- Up to 70% of the market value of breeding animals for mortality
- Up to 70% of extraordinary costs incurred by an industry organization and not paid by another agency or government department
- Up to 70% of the extraordinary costs required to return to normal crop production, including: Critical infrastructure not covered by insurance, labour costs to repair private fences, and reseeding/re-establishment of tame forage and other perennials damaged by fires.
