The federal government has asked Parliament to authorize $91 million in additional spending to cover unexpected Agriculture Canada costs in the current fiscal year.
The request came two days after the government unveiled a big-spending, large-deficit budget for the fiscal year beginning April 1, although little of the new spending will go to agriculture.
The supplementary spending request for the current fiscal year will raise 2008-09 Agriculture Canada spending to almost $3.7 billion. The current fiscal year ends March 31.
The new spending requests include $12 million for the cull breeding hog program announced last year to try to reduce the hog herd to strengthen prices, as well as more than $22 million for a program to research and implement programs and procedures to control hog industry diseases.
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It also includes almost $19 million for improvement and maintenance of Agriculture Canada properties.
As well, the department is asking for approval of $11.5 million it spent to keep the on-farm food safety program running this year.
The programs were caught between budgets because federal and provincial ministers were not able to agree on a renewal agreement before the old programs under the agricultural policy framework expired March 31.
The programs were extended for a year, and it became apparent last fall that departmental funding was inadequate during the transition year between long-term policy frameworks.
Transition year funding for the on-farm food safety program was calculated as the average of the past five years, but it ended up being a 40 percent cut in last year’s funding.
After complaints, the department quietly reversed the decision on funding and found more money to cover costs.
Last week’s supplementary spending estimates presented to Parliament detail the cost of that reversal.
