May 19, 2023 (Regina, SK) – The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) supports the recent announcement from the federal and provincial governments introducing support for farm and ranch families still dealing with wildlife damage in the province’s southwest and west central regions.
Earlier this week, Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit announced an additional freight adjustment for farms that experienced wildlife damage to stacked forage.
“This support for farm and ranch families who have already been hit hard by drought is greatly appreciated,” APAS President Ian Boxall said. “The ability to feed livestock with stacked forage is essential, particularly in areas that continue to experience dry conditions.”
While this program is a great start, APAS is looking for support to be extended to the entire province.
“Wildlife damage is not just a localized issue,” Boxall noted. “Depending on what part of the province you live in, deer, moose, or elk have inflicted havoc on farms, leaving behind ripped grain bags and spoiled grain. And for livestock producers, coyotes and other predatory animals are also a concern.”
APAS representatives have endorsed for Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) to include wildlife damage as an eligible loss for reserved pastureland and a request to the Ministry of Environment to provide special hunting licences for Saskatchewan-based landowners/producers with increased tag allocation in areas with high numbers of wildlife damage compensation claims. Recently, APAS met with officials from the Ministry of Environment to discuss wildlife damage in Saskatchewan.
APAS looks forward to meeting with the parties involved to discuss steps to help alleviate this issue for farm and ranch families.
The full release is available here.
