Canada and Manitoba Changing AgriRecovery Drought Programming to Provide Additional Support to Producers

Changes to Enhance Financial Support, With No Need to Reapply: Ministers

Winnipeg, Manitoba – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - The governments of Canada and Manitoba are making changes to the AgriRecovery Drought Assistance Program to make it easier for producers to receive funding and to enhance financial compensation, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson announced today.

Changes include:

• eliminating the "producer share" for applicants to increase payments to each applicant. The "producer share" was set at $50/head for cattle, bison, elk and horses; or $10/head for sheep and goats
• reducing the compensation rate and the extraordinary expenses for feed receipts from 75 per cent to 70 per cent, which, when combined with eliminating the "producer share," will increase funding to all applicants
• increasing the maximum payment from $250/head for cattle, bison, elk and horses to $270/head and from $50/head for sheep and goats to $54/head, which will allow producers who have already received the maximum amount to receive an additional payment
• adjusting previous claims automatically, so clients do not need to reapply

Johnson also noted that an extension has been put in place to extend the Livestock Feed and Transportation Drought Assistance program. The program, which covers feed, feed transportation and related extraordinary expenses, will now cover eligible expenses up to April 15, 2022. The application deadline has been updated to May 13, 2022.

The deadline has been extended due to extreme weather conditions in January and February that have required producers to increase the amount of feed used to maintain the health and welfare of their animals.

Under the drought assistance program, eligible expenditures between June 1, 2021 and April 15, 2022 include feed purchases, rentals of additional crop or pasture acres, temporary fencing for supplemental grazing, hauling water, harvesting extra acres and hauling self-produced feed from distant locations. Eligible animals under the program include breeding animals of beef and dairy cattle, horses raised for pregnant mare urine, sheep, goats, bison and elk. Producers must support a minimum of 10 animals to qualify for assistance.