The federal Liberals have jumped the gun on the release of the report from their task force on agriculture to roll out its recommendations for “immediate” short-term aid for livestock producers.
The party, whose task force report was “scheduled to be released in the near future, announced the recommendations Monday.
The task force, co-chaired by Opposition ag critic Wayne Easter and a Quebec candidate, Cindy Duncan McMillan, recommended immediate cash aid to producers by way of:
- special 2007 CAIS advance payments of up to $100 per cow and $150 for feeder cattle;
- immediate short-term loans for hog producers to improve cash flow as markets adjust; and
- 2006 CAIS payments and 2007 CAIS targeted and interim advance payments to be put “on an immediate priority basis” for all hog and beef producers.
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Among the task force’s other recommendations to help livestock producers were:
- to work with all parties on ways to improve the livestock Advance Payment Program and its accessibility for hog and beef producers, by amending the security requirements, unlinking CAIS payment offsets with advances given, and extending time restrictions on advances;
- for all hog and beef producers to be given the option of having the top 15 per cent of CAIS or the new AgriInvest program for at least 2007 and 2008, and to maintain the $600 million AgriInvest kick-start already announced;
- deferral, not only of interest payments but also of clawbacks related to CAIS overpayments to hog and beef producers, until December; and
- that a working group be set up immediately to develop a livestock production insurance program to provide hog producers equivalent coverage given to crop producers, and to help them address margin declines due to disease outbreak.
“Canadian farm families run the most efficient livestock operations in the world and they still can’t make ends meet,” Easter said in a party press release Monday.
“These producers face enormous expenses, a rising dollar and falling prices for their products — factors they have no control over. That’s why the government should have stepped in months ago and has to step in now.”
The party said its task force’s recommendations follow “extensive consultations” on issues facing farm families, with “dozens” of major farm organizations and “dozens more” individual farmers.
