A flood-ravaged farm in Abbotsford in Nov. of 2021. The Sumas Prairie, where the farm is located, was one of the areas hit hardest by the floods.(The Canadian Press)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

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Provincial and federal governments pitch in to help B.C. farmers devastated by flooding

Feb 7, 2022 | 3:17 PM

VICTORIA — Up to $228 million in federal-provincial government funds will be available to farmers who sustained extraordinary damages during November’s devastating floods.

The Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program will be delivered by the province and will leverage the federal government’s AgriRecovery Framework and Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA).

Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Marie-Claude Bibeau told a Monday, Feb 7 news conference the agricultural community has pulled together and demonstrated its strength and determination in the face of intense flooding.

“There is still a long way to go, but the Government of Canada will continue to work with the Government of British Columbia to support our farmers. We are here to help them rebuild so they can quickly get back to doing what they do best: producing high-quality food for Canadians.”

The program will help farmers who have incurred extraordinary expenses from uninsurable damages such as:

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• cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, water and waste systems; returning flood-impacted land and buildings to a safe environment for agricultural production;
• repair of uninsurable essential farm infrastructure, reasonable repair of on-farm structures such as livestock containment fences, and the rental of temporary production facilities drainage ditches and riprap;
• animal welfare; replacement feed as well as livestock transportation, veterinary care and mortality disposal; and
• loss of perennial plants not raised for resale.

The response was designed following extensive consultation with agricultural organizations and individual farmers in the different disaster areas.

The governments of Canada and British Columbia also established a committee of ministers who are working together and with Indigenous leadership to guide immediate and ongoing support to BC families, businesses and communities affected by the extreme weather events.

Farmers who have already undertaken any work are advised to keep their receipts, track the hours of work involved, and take pictures documenting the damage and repairs to support their application.

Program criteria and application forms are available online: gov.bc.ca/agrifloodrecovery.

Income protection programs for BC farmers.

Emergency management for agriculture.

One-on-one assistance in English and Punjabi is available to farmers requiring assistance completing the applications through agrirecovery@gov.bc.ca, or toll-free: 1-888-332-3352.

More than 1,100 farms, 15,000 hectares and 2.5 million livestock primarily in the Sumas Prairie, Merritt and Princeton were affected by the floods.

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