The Manitoba government is putting more money into two assistance programs for farmers to cover drought and bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
It announced on Sept. 12 that $12 million will be used to subsidize feed transportation costs for farmers in dry regions such as southwestern Manitoba and in the Interlake.
The BSE program is being beefed up with $10 million more for the slaughter program, a continuation of the 1.5 percent interest rate reduction for the BSE recovery loans, as well as the one percent young farmer reduction, and $43 million more that will be channelled through the agricultural policy framework.
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The slaughter and interest rate money continues programs that expired just before the announcement.
Weldon Newton, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, said the money is welcome but will not eliminate the crisis.
“It all helps, but it hasn’t gone as far as many producers would want them to go,” said Newton. But he blamed the federal government for the plight of beef producers affected by the restrictions at the U.S. border.
“Unfortunately it appears Mr. (Lyle) Vanclief (federal agriculture minister) is tying everything into signing the implementation agreements for the APF. He’s basically playing blackmail.”
Newton said the lack of federal leadership has left each province to come up with its own support for producers and that has created disparities.
“Since we aren’t getting any leadership from the federal government we need common responses from the western provinces,” said Newton.
“That’s the frustrating thing. The provinces aren’t working together.”
