Saskatchewan farmers hailed out in 1995 will be unfairly penalized by the Freight Cost Pooling Assistance Program, says a Progressive Conservative MLA.
The program was set up to help farmers in southeastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba adjust to paying the full cost of shipping their grain through the St. Lawrence seaway.
But Don Toth, MLA for Moosomin, said because the program is based on wheat and barley delivered during the 1995-96 crop year, farmers who were hailed out will receive little or no payment.
He urged federal agriculture minister Ralph Goodale to allow farmers who suffered hail damage to apply for assistance using an average amount of wheat and barley delivered in previous years.
Read Also
Alberta researcher helps unlock the economics of farming
Lethbridge Polytechnic researcher helping agriculture producers with decision-making tools in economic feasibility
“Maybe we are dealing with just a few people, but these individuals are facing the increased freight costs and as a result of environmental conditions they have no control over, such as this disastrous hail storm that affected them, then maybe we should look at offering them a review of the previous two or three years of production,” Toth said.
He said he has heard from about a dozen producers who experienced severe hail damage to their crops. A significant drop in production could be proven by a check of Canadian Wheat Board records.
Goodale told reporters the program’s technical details were developed in consultation with farm organizations and the Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments.
Toth said farm groups may not have been aware of individual producers who had difficulty.
