B.C. farmers whose farms were damaged by floods in November 2021 can now apply to the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program until August 31.
The program helps farmers return to production by reimbursing them for uninsured expenses they incurred on activities such as:
* cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, and water and waste systems;
* returning flood-affected land and buildings to a safe state for agricultural production;
* repairing uninsurable essential farm infrastructure;
* repairing structures such as livestock-containment fences;
* renting temporary production facilities;
* installing drainage ditches and land-stabilization materials;
* animal welfare activities such as replacing feed, transporting livestock, veterinary care and mortality disposal; and
* replacing perennial plants not grown for sale.
The enrolment deadline for farmers to begin their claim process is being extended from June 1 to August 31. Processing of claims will continue after the deadline and farmers can continue submitting documents outlining their expenses after that date.
Funding for the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program is provided by the governments of Canada and British Columbia.
Learn More:
Program criteria and application forms are available online: gov.bc.ca/agrifloodrecovery
Program announcement from February 2022: https://news.gov.bc.ca/26217
One-on-one assistance in English and Punjabi for completing applications: agrirecovery@gov.bc.ca (mailto:agrirecovery@gov.bc.ca
Income-protection programs for B.C. farmers: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/
B.C.’s emergency management planning for agriculture: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/
