Cattle and ruminant livestock producers affected by flooding in the Interlake region this year will soon have access to a Targeted Advance Payment (TAP) under the AgriStability program, Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Rosann Wowchuk announced today.

 

“The extreme weather conditions this year have created a financial hardship for many livestock producers particularly those in the Interlake and Westlake regions,” said Wowchuk. “This
federal-provincial program has been implemented to address urgent issues so this advance will provide financial assistance now, when producers need it the most.”

 

Through the TAP program, approximately 850 eligible producers will have access to more than
$7 million in funding. The average advance would be in the range of $8,400.

 

Criteria for the TAP program includes:

·        producer sales of 50 per cent or more in the cattle and other ruminant sector including sheep, goats, bison, deer, elk, lamas, alpacas, and horses/PMU;

·        producers located in the rural municipalities of St. Laurent, Coldwell, Siglunes, Grahamdale, Fisher, Bifrost, Eriksdale, Armstrong, Gimli, Alonsa, Mossey River, Ethelbert, Mountain South, Lawrence, areas of Northern Affairs jurisdiction adjacent to these municipalities, as well as the First Nations communities within these municipalities; and

·        losses which occurred in the 2008 fiscal period ending after July 31 when most flooding occurred.

 

The AgriStability program is designed to help farmers deal with drops in income by providing assistance when their margins fall below average.  The federal government pays 60 per cent of the cost of the program and the provincial government pays 40 per cent.

 

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