Saskatchewan producers claimed nearly $6 million in wildlife crop damage last winter.
And despite contributions from both Ottawa and Regina, the province’s big game damage compensation program is still running a deficit.
In March, the program was $1.5 million in the red, and the province put in $2 million to stabilize it. But claims for crop and feed damage escalated once producers got a good look at the 1.2 million acres of crop left in fields last winter.
Just over 2,000 claims were eventually made, according to Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation.
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Still short of money
Environment minister Lorne Scott said $2 million contributed by Ottawa last month out of Saskatchewan’s federal safety net allocation will help the program significantly. An $11 fee first added to hunting licences last fall raised about $600,000, he said. That leaves the program $1.4 million short.
“We’re not just sure yet,” where the money will come from, Scott said. “It will be out of provincial government coffers one way or the other.”
He said the vast majority of damage was to crop left in the field, rather than haystacks.
“In a normal year we thought that half-a-million dollars would cover it,” Scott said.
Some landowners had estimated the damage would be between $5 million and $10 million and warned the program wouldn’t be enough.
The program covers 70 percent of losses, with a minimum claim of $500 per crop. For hay, the program covers 70 percent of losses but producers must pay a $500 deductible per storage yard per quarter section.
Scott said landowners with haystack problems should take advantage of prevention programs offered by the government such as permanent fencing. He is also hoping a pilot lure crop project near Moosomin is successful.
