Federal and Provincial Governments providing support for fruit tree industry

Today, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and the Honourable Bloyce Thompson, provincial Minister of Agriculture, announced additional support for Prince Edward Island producers in the fruit tree sector that were extraordinarily impacted by Hurricane Fiona.

The Canada – Prince Edward Island Fiona Fruit Tree Recovery Initiative, under AgriRecovery, will provide eligible fruit tree growers with over $1.7 million in federal/provincial cost-shared funding to support extraordinary costs such as the replacement and restoration of trellis infrastructure, labour costs resulting from additional tasks such as mulching ground fruit and clearing trees, and the replacement and straightening of damaged trees.

AgriRecovery is part of the business risk management (BRM) suite under the recently announced Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP). AgriRecovery provides a framework and process that enables federal/provincial/territorial governments to evaluate the impacts of natural disasters on agricultural producers and provide additional support for extraordinary costs when needed.

The AgriRecovery framework has a set of assessment criteria for governments to determine whether or not financial relief is needed beyond existing BRM programming. If the criteria for disaster relief are met, an AgriRecovery initiative is developed to provide financial relief to producers. AgriRecovery initiatives are cost-shared on a 60:40 basis between the federal government and participating provinces or territories, as outlined under the Sustainable CAP.

Quick Facts

• In addition to the AgriRecovery supports, Federal and Provincial Governments have worked diligently since Fiona made landfall to identify, assess, and accept applications through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA). DFAA is a federally funded support mechanism that can be provided to provincial and territorial governments in the event of a large-scale natural disaster.
• In October 2022, the Province of PEI announced an additional $17 million in funding to further support those impacted by Hurricane Fiona. For more information on those Fiona initiatives, visit Fiona Agriculture Support Program
• For more information on how to apply for and access the new funding opportunities and programs available through the new Sustainable CAP, visit https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/scap

Quotes:
“Hurricane Fiona was devastating for the agriculture sector on Prince Edward Island, particularly to our budding tree-fruit industry, where local producers lost or sustained damage to more than tens of thousands of trees from this extreme climate event. Islanders have come together to support the rebuilding of our orchards, and we’ll continue to work with the Province to assist our producers as they recover.”

-    The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

“As we make our way through another Atlantic Hurricane Season, we know that many are still working on ways to improve resiliency and build back what was lost and damaged during Hurricane Fiona last fall. Through our Fiona Agriculture Support programs, we’ve tried to target and support producers that were impacted and help build a better future in agriculture. But we also know that there are some industries, including our fruit-tree growers, who were adversely affected and needed additional supports. These blooming sectors help drive innovation and local communities, and we are pleased to partner with our federal colleagues on providing additional supports in the recovery effort.”

-    The Honourable Bloyce Thompson, PEI’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture

Media contacts:

Kip Ready
PEI Department of Agriculture
kjready@gov.pe.ca

Annie Cullinan
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
annie.cullinan@agr.gc.ca

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
aafc.mediarelations-relationsmedias.aac@agr.gc.ca
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Associated Links:
•    https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/scap
•    https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/programs/business-risk-management