B.C.’s agricultural sector allowed late participation in income-protection program

VICTORIA – B.C. farmers and producers can still participate in AgriStability for the 2022 farming year and have until June 30, 2023, to pay their fees and secure coverage under the program.
AgriStability is a federal-provincial-territorial program that provides support to growers with large financial declines caused by production losses, disease outbreak, and increased costs or declining market conditions.
“Allowing late participation in AgriStability will help more farmers manage the impacts of the many challenges they face on their farms,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “I encourage eligible farmers to take advantage of the support available to improve their situation and get back to what they do best – producing high-quality foods.” A severe avian influenza outbreak affected many Fraser Valley poultry producers in 2022, and some B.C. crop producers have also been dealing with production losses and revenue declines due to extreme weather and abnormally cold temperatures. These challenging conditions were all factors in the decision to enable late participation in AgriStability for 2022.
“By allowing late participation in AgriStability, we will be able to offer financial support to more farmers and producers who need assistance due to factors, such as weather and disease, that were out of their control,” said Pam Alexis, B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture and Food. “We recognize the challenges our agricultural community have faced over the past year, and we encourage anyone who is eligible to retroactively sign up, so they can improve their financial situation for the coming year, while continuing to produce the food and food products we all appreciate and rely on.”
For the past three years, AgriStability participation has been consistent in B.C., with approximately 2,100 farmers enrolled in the program for 2022, 2021 and 2020.
The Canadian Agricultural Partnership Agreement allows Canada and British Columbia to agree to late participation for AgriStability. The late participation allows B.C. farmers and
producers to participate in the 2022 program as long as they pay their program fees by June 30, 2023.
For information or to enrol in AgriStability, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/AgriStability
For assistance with enrolment, contact BC AgriStability Administration at 1 877 343-2767 or email: [email protected].