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NEWS RELEASE |
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| July 9, 2010 | For
Immediate Release |
YORKTON-MELVILLE
MP GARRY BREITKREUZ WELCOMES
PRIME MINISTER HARPER & AgriRECOVERY ANNOUNCEMENT
YORKTON – For weeks, agriculture producers across the constituency of Yorkton-Melville have relayed to Member of Parliament Garry Breitkreuz their frustration and concern over the horrendous amount of rainfall received throughout the area in May and June. On Thursday, July 8, Breitkreuz welcomed Prime Minister Stephen Harper who saw first hand the devastation our farmers face everyday.
“Through constant contact with producers and R.M. councils in my riding, I have been able to convey to Prime Minister Harper the terrible conditions our farmers have experienced this spring,” said Breitkreuz, “and I invited him to see the devastation for himself. Yesterday, he accepted my invitation, and I was able to show our Prime Minister the impact that this year’s flooding has had on our area.”
Breitkreuz
met with Mr. Harper, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, Federal Minister
of Agriculture Gerry Ritz, and Saskatchewan’s Minister of Agriculture
Bob Bjornerud on a farm north of Yorkton following an aerial tour of
the area.
“Prime Minister Harper, Premier Wall and our Agriculture Ministers
certainly understand the magnitude that the floods have and will have
on our entire agriculture community, and both levels of government have
pledged their support for our farmers.”
Earlier on Thursday, Minister Ritz and Minister Bjornerud announced the roll-out of a $30 per acre direct payment to Saskatchewan farmers. The $30 per acre is for both Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) participants and non-participants, and is in addition to the $50 per acre that SCIC participants can apply for, for unseeded acres due to flooding. The $30 per acre falls under the AgriRecovery Program and is in addition to existing federal-provincial Business Risk Management programs, such as AgriInsurance (crop insurance), AgriStability and AgriInvest, which as the first lines of defence to address income shortfalls, will all significantly help farmers manage the impact of this natural disaster. Producers across Saskatchewan can contact their Crop Insurance office for more details and either Crop Insurance or their Rural Municipality office for the AgriRecovery application forms.
“Thursday was a very encouraging day for producers in Yorkton-Melville. Not only is our Prime Minister even more appreciative of the financial and emotional stress that everyone in our area is facing, our Agriculture Ministers re-confirmed their commitment to the agriculture community with the announcement of financial aid,” said Breitkreuz. “Nothing can replace this year’s crop, but this money will go a long way to adopt measures to protect, rehabilitate and manage affected cropland.”
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