TORONTO – Agriculture Canada has commissioned a survey to figure out if there is a clear connection between farmers’ financial stress and their awareness of available public support and private risk management tools.
Federal and provincial agriculture ministers were briefed on the survey-in-progress Dec. 8 during their Toronto meeting.
Departmental official Mark McCarthy, who briefed ministers, said 2,400 farmers across the country are being surveyed by the Angus Reid Group before Christmas. It will cost the department $125,000.
The farmers are being asked:
- How aware they are of existing safety net programs and private sector risk management tools and how much they use them.
- How well those tools are working on their farm.
- What conditions lead them to withdraw funds from their Net Income Stabilization Accounts.
- How they view the NISA program, whether as a farm cash flow stabilizing device, a risk management tool or a retirement savings fund.
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The survey conductors will try to draw a profile of respondents
“I would say the goal is to find out how well programs and options are known, how much they are used, how they work and whether there is a connection between financial stress and not accessing programs available,” McCarthy said.
