Manitoba’s recent budget largely ignores the concerns of farmers and the agricultural industry, say producer groups in the province.
Despite the province facing a $460 million deficit this year, the government is cutting Manitoba Agriculture’s budget for Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives by a modest 0.5 per cent: to $227 million in 2012 from $228.3 million in 2011.
However, Keystone Agricultural Producers was disappointed the budget contained only one new program for farmers: a nutrient management tax credit to help producers comply with new environmental regulations.
“I welcome this assistance, but the kind of practices we’re talking about require huge investments in infrastructure and equipment, and the $300,000 set aside for tax credits is, unfortunately, a drop in the bucket,” KAP president Doug Chorney said in a statement.
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The province also committed $50 million to fix roads and bridges damaged during the 2011 spring flood, which Chorney said should benefit all residents of rural Manitoba, including farmers.
As well, Manitoba Beef Producers welcomed a forage restoration program for hay and pasture land damaged in last year’s flood, which drowned thousands of acres adjacent to Lake Manitoba.
“This is a critical program for those still suffering from the 2011 flood,” said MBP president Ray Armbruster.
“Flooded land will take years to rehabilitate. MBP will continue to work with the provincial government to restore flooded pasture and hayland.”
MBP and KAP lamented the province’s decision to eliminate the riparian tax credit, which offered tax credits for landowners who maintained vegetation cover, eliminated tillage, controlled grazing and implemented other practices to preserve land adjacent to streams and rivers.
“Uptake has been low in recent years,” Armbruster said.
“But we are disappointed that the province did not adopt the proposed changes to the program that would increase uptake, rather than eliminate the program entirely.”
