Farmers desperate for help to recover from massive flood losses

January 29, 2022

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DELTA: As farmers await details on the provincial and federal governments’ pending Agri-Recovery package, many are expressing concerns about its potential limitations as they try to make plans to restore their operations which were devastated in last November’s floods. Ian Paton, MLA for Delta South Opposition Critic for Agriculture and Food, has written a letter to Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture outlining some of the major concerns regarding financial assistance to farmers affected by flooding. “It appears Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) has some restrictions that have left many producers ineligible for relief. Farmers have let me know that they have tried to apply for the funding but have been told they technically don’t qualify for any support because their farms are incorporated and bring in more than $1 million in annual sales,” Paton wrote in the letter. “Our farmers are distraught,” said Paton. “Their barns and homes were filled with three to seven feet of water and they lost livestock, poultry, feed, and crops to this disaster. They also saw equipment failures and face expensive repairs because of this catastrophic flooding. They need help now, and they haven’t been encouraged by the response they’ve received so far.” “Farmers are anxious about what the Agri-Recovery guidelines, set jointly by the federal and provincial governments, will look like — in large part because of what has transpired for wildfire affected ranchers in other parts of the province who have applied but not seen any funds. These ranchers also have to submit receipts in advance to apply for funds, which is a lot to ask considering the tremendous financial burden they are facing. As a result, we have seen lower than expected amounts of wildfire recovery funds paid out,” Paton said. Paton’s letter also tries to get answers to some of their inquiries, such as: When it comes to repairs and rebuilding, will farmers first have to find the funds to pay out of their own pockets? Or will they be able to submit estimates for repairs to get funds advanced and then submit receipts for completed work?Blueberry growers have received professional advice from expert horticulturalists that their plants will never return to previous production levels and must be replaced. Do government officials agree with that assessment, and will farmers be compensated if they move forward with replacing those plants? “As you know, making a living in farming is difficult at the best of times. These farmers suffering from flood damage and losses are in desperate need of financial support so they can get through these disasters. I implore you to find a way to improve the eligibility criteria and ensure they can get the funds they need to restore their operations, some of which have been in their families for generations,” he said.