Yesterday, she announced that the fourth payment under the Dairy Direct Payment Program (DDPP) is now available for dairy producers.
Dairy farmers will receive compensation payments based on their milk quota.
For example, the owner of an 80 head dairy farm will receive $38,000 in direct payment compensation.
The compensation for this fourth round of payments will total $468 million.
AAFC has mailed letters out to all eligible dairy producers with instructions on the application process.
Producers must register through the Canadian Dairy Commission before March 31, 2023 in order to get their payment.
This fourth payment completes full and fair compensation to dairy producers for the impact of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The Government of Canada recently announced compensation of up to $1.2 billion over six years under the DDPP to account for the impacts of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Under the compensation package, the owner of a farm with 80 milking cows (as of 2024) may receive compensation through a direct payment of about $106,000 in six yearly instalments on a declining scale.
In 2022, there were 9,952 dairy farms in Canada and the dairy industry generated $7.39 billion in total net farm cash receipts in 2021.
The Federal Agriculture Minister also announcing support for up to 79 new projects across Canada that promote food security in Indigenous, remote and Northern communities.
In total, up to $19.5 million will be invested, the projects fall under the fourth phase of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF), with between $100,000 and $500,000 per project. .
The community-led projects aim to have an immediate and long-lasting impact on food systems in communities that are experiencing the highest food insecurity, by improving processing, production and distribution capacity at the local level.
In Morley, Alberta, for example, Stoney Nakoda Nations will receive up to $216,593 to purchase mobile food preparation equipment and infrastructure for raising chickens, gardening and fishing. This project will allow the community to create workshops to teach members about traditional food preparation and food waste reduction.
Of the 79 projects 6 are located in Manitoba, 5 in Saskatchewan and 12 in Alberta…. 56 are Indigenous-led, totaling up to $15.1 million.
