‘Farmers will have the support they need to ensure the right measures are in place and limit the spread of COVID-19’
The federal government is investing $7.5 million to help Quebec farmers better protect the health and safety of farm workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The financing will come under the $35-million Emergency On-Farm Support Fund.
“With this program, Quebec farmers will have the support they need to ensure the right measures are in place to safeguard their employees’ health and safety and limit the spread of the virus,” says Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food.
Eligible activities include direct infrastructure improvements to living quarters and work stations, temporary or emergency housing (on or off-farm), as well as personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitary stations, work stations and any other health and safety measures that safeguard the health and safety of Canadian and temporary foreign workers from COVID-19.
This measure will be administered by La Financière Agricole du Québec (FADQ), which will be accepting applications from Dec. 14, 2020 to Feb. 26, 2021.
“La Financière Agricole has deployed several measures to support producers through this crisis. The terms of application for the measure in Quebec were established to simplify participation while ensuring equitable access for all eligible businesses,” says Ernest Desrosiers, CEO of La Financière Agricole du Québec. “We have worked with the governments to ensure that the implementation of the assistance measure takes into account the specific needs of agricultural businesses in Quebec.”
The financial assistance consists of a lump sum of up to two per cent of salaries or 50 per cent of eligible expenses declared by the farm. The financial assistance can be increased to 2.4 per cent of salaries or to 60 per cent of eligible expenses when the business is majority owned by women, young farmers under 40, people with disabilities, members of visible minorities or Indigenous peoples.
Previously, the government also announced investments in Prince Edward Island and British Columbia farmers under the same fund.
