Producers Of Other Ruminants To Receive More Than $21 Million In Immediate Assistance As Sector Strategy Continues (March 30, 2005)

WINNIPEG, March 29, 2005 – Canada’s producers of other ruminants, including deer, elk, bison and sheep and goats, will receive more than $21 million to help them deal with continuing cash flow pressures and to continue to implement a strategy to reshape the sector, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Andy Mitchell announced today.


The funding will be delivered through the $1 billion Farm Income Payment Program.


Although benefits are being seen in the cattle sector as a result of the launch of the Government of Canada’s Repositioning the Livestock Industry Strategy last September, the continued closure of many borders to Canadian cattle and other ruminants is severely hurting producers.


“Most of the recent attention has been on our cattle producers but this has also been a difficult time for producers of other ruminants who have been caught up in the international response to BSE,” said Minister Mitchell. “The funding announced today will help address the immediate issue of cash flow in this sector and allow us to continue to accelerate the repositioning strategy and allow producers of other ruminants to get back on their feet again.”


“These have been extremely difficult years for sheep and other ruminant producers and this money will help bring some liquidity to our sectors,” said Jennifer Fleming of the Canadian Sheep Federation. “We look forward to working with the federal and provincial governments to find longer term solutions to income pressures.”


The Farm Income Payment Program will begin delivering assistance in April.


As part of the program producers of other ruminants will be eligible for $4.3 million under the general payment.


In addition to this assistance ruminant producers, based on their inventory as of December 23, 2003, will be eligible for direct per-head payment. These are expected to be up to $14 for goats and sheep, up to $68 for bison, up to $34 for elk and up to $17 for deer. These payments complement previous programs announced by the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.


The Government of Canada previously invested $1.9 million in developing a tracking and tracing system for sheep, as well as developing disease control for scrapie related to the sheep and goat sectors. The Government of Canada will be consulting with the industry to develop other transformative initiatives including market development.


Producers who participated in last year’s Transitional Industry Support Program will automatically receive payments. There is no need for these producers to apply, as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has the necessary historical data required to calculate payments.


For the general payment, producers who did not participate in the Transitional Industry Support Program and reported farming income for 2002 can apply by completing an application form reporting their eligible net sales for 2002. For the direct payment, these producers will need to have held eligible animals on December 23, 2003 and show reported farming income for 2003.


A guide and application form will be available shortly on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s website at www.agr.gc.ca, For more information, call 1-866-367-8506.


Since BSE was discovered in Canada in 2003, federal, provincial and territorial governments have provided more than $2.6 billion in assistance to the cattle and ruminant sector.


For more information on the Farm Income Payment Program, visit Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Web site at www.agr.gc.ca or call 1-866-367-8506.