Disaster relief for hard-hit B.C. farmers

The British Columbia and federal governments have announced a support program to help B.C. farmers recover from what is described as the most impactful agricultural disaster ever in the province.

Farmers who suffered damages during severe flooding in November 2021 will have access to up to $228 million in government funding to help their farms return to production.

Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of agriculture and Lana Popham, B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture, announced the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program, which will be delivered by the B.C. government.

Popham said the November flooding led to profound losses for many farmers and food producers.

“We’re responding with a program that delivers the greatest amount of support of its kind in B.C.’s history,” Popham stated. “We’ve worked closely with farmers and farming organizations to make sure we have a comprehensive response that will support their recovery, help them get their farms back in production, and continue our collective efforts to build a resilient food system and food economy in B.C.”

The program will help farmers who have incurred extraordinary expenses from uninsurable damages, such as:

• cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, water and waste systems; returning flood-impacted land and buildings to a safe environment for agricultural production;
• repair of uninsurable essential farm infrastructure, reasonable repair of on-farm structures such as livestock containment fences, and the rental of temporary production facilities drainage ditches and riprap;
• animal welfare; replacement feed as well as livestock transportation, veterinary care and mortality disposal; and
• loss of perennial plants not raised for resale.

Farmers who have already undertaken any work are advised to keep their receipts, track the hours of work involved, and take pictures documenting the damage and repairs to support their application.