B.C., Canada strengthen support for farmers dealing with unexpected losses

The governments of B.C. and Canada are making changes to the AgriStability program to provide more financial support to B.C. farmers, following a virtual meeting of the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture.

“Now is the time for unity, and we’re working together to deliver for producers right across the country to make sure our programs work for them,” said Heath MacDonald, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “That’s why, at our meeting last week, we agreed to make changes to AgriStability so that producers facing trade uncertainty and dry conditions have more protection.”

Effective Friday, July 25, 2025, there are several enhancements for the 2025 AgriStability program year, including:

• increasing the compensation rate from 80% to 90%, meaning producers will receive 90 cents for every dollar of eligible income decline;
• doubling the compensation cap from $3 million to $6 million to offer more equitable protection for larger farms and ranches; and
• advancing interest-free payments to farmers for up to 75% of their anticipated final claim.

B.C. farmers have until Thursday, July 31, 2025, to enrol in AgriStability for the 2025 program year. Application details are available here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/programs/agriculture-insurance-and-income-protection-programs/agristability

“We raised concerns we have been hearing from farmers here in B.C. at a national level, and our advocacy is resulting in improvements to AgriStability so B.C. farmers can continue to produce high-quality local food,” said Lana Popham, B.C. Minister of Agriculture and Food. “B.C. led the way on this initiative, making these very same changes to our program last year. It’s great to have the federal government partner with us this year to continue to support farmers.”