Federal-provincial disaster relief commits $228 million to help producers pick up the pieces following last year’s devastating flooding
British Columbia producers, picking up the pieces following unprecedented flooding, can now collectively access up to $228 million under a federal-provincial disaster relief program.
The Canada-B.C. Flood Recovery for Food Security Program will help farmers with extraordinary expenses from uninsurable damages.
“The flooding and landslides resulted in the largest-ever agricultural disaster in B.C.’s history, and arguably one of the worst years ever for farming in our province,” said B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham during a news conference Feb. 7.
The overall damage sustained by farmers is likely about $285 million based on input from private insurance companies and assessors, she said. The program will help producers with expenses that include the following:
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- Returning flood-impacted land and buildings to a safe environment for agricultural production, including cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, along with water and waste systems.
- Repair of uninsurable essential farm infrastructure — such as reasonable repair of on-farm structures like livestock containment fences, and the rental of temporary production facilities — as well as things such as drainage ditches and riprap.
- Costs for animal welfare, including replacement feed as well as livestock transportation, veterinary care, and mortality disposal.
- Loss of perennial plants not raised for resale, such as blueberry plants.
Farms with annual sales of more than $2 million will be eligible for up to 70 percent compensation, with B.C. seeking reimbursement through the federal-provincial AgriRecovery disaster relief framework. Those with less than $2 million in annual revenue can receive up to 90 percent compensation, with B.C. being reimbursed through the federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA).
When asked how long it will take for the money to reach producers, Popham said the answer was complicated.
“But we also know that there are some very desperate situations right now and farmers need cash now, and so we’re going to be able to give interim payment quickly and get that cash into their pockets….”
Although it took longer to finalize the program than anticipated, “the reason behind that was because they really made a better program,” said Kevin Boon, general manager of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association. The application process has been simplified and producers will be able to get more money to cover a wider range of damages, he said.
The amount of dollars being offered is a “healthy number,” said Stan Vander Waal, president of the B.C. Agriculture Council. “Will it cover everything? Absolutely not.”
However, considering “the depth of the challenges that farmers are facing, I do think the program is as comprehensive as we would get from a government.”
He expected it will take some producers years to recover.
“You can’t imagine the pain some of these people are dealing with.”
B.C. was forced to declare a state of emergency Nov. 17 following flooding and landslides that severed much of the province’s road and rail links. More than 1,100 farms were under evacuation order or alert at the height of the disaster, which affected about 37,066 acres of land and 2.5 million livestock from the Sumas Prairie, which stretches from near Abbotsford to near Chilliwack, as well as around Merritt and Princeton.
“Flooding in November was unlike anything any of us had ever seen before,” said Jeremy Dunn, general manager of the B.C. Dairy Association. “When the waters receded in December, the mess left behind has been immense.”
B.C.’s warmer climate means it is one of the first provinces to start growing crops each year, said Popham. “We do know that there are some instances of contamination, and this recovery package will include assistance for that remediation of soil.”
Sixty-five dairy farms were directly affected by the disaster, said Dunn. “Our farmers’ first concern was for their animals and ensuring their care, and the second was cleaning and rebuilding. That work continues today.”
The Sumas Prairie was particularly hard hit. About 628,000 poultry were reported dead in B.C. as of Dec. 2, along with 420 dairy cattle and about 12,000 hogs.
“Our dairy, poultry, beef and hog farms experienced serious losses of animals and infrastructure,” said Popham. “And more than 7,500 tonnes of field vegetables were lost, as well as damages to many other crops, including berries, greens, plants, and nurseries.”
Boon said 40 to 50 ranches were affected by flooding, with some producers losing everything from houses and cattle to land they relied on to grow hay. About four of these ranches also suffered damages in the summer from wildfires and heat waves that affected more than 100 ranches, he added.
The flood recovery program marks the second time in only six months that AgriRecovery has been triggered in B.C. Producers were eligible in September for up to $20 million through the Canada-British Columbia Wildfire and Drought AgriRecovery Initiative.
