The Ontario legislative assembly has officially passed the Agriculture Insurance Act, 2014, a bill intended to expand the agricultural products eligible for the province’s production insurance program.
This coverage is currently offered to the producers of nearly 90 commercial crops, such as grains, oil seeds and certain items of produce, but Bill 40 expands the program to include numerous other agricultural yields.
These new inclusions include livestock, poultry and honey bees, which places Ontario’s insurance program in closer alignment with neighboring provinces.
The amplified production insurance is intended to not only help farmers manage unavoidable losses from weather, pests and disease, but also assist in reducing risk, fostering job creation and stimulating innovation.
"Our government is pleased to give a broader range of producers the opportunity to access production insurance. This legislation will enable producers to manage the multitude of risks they face every day,” Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement. “Ontario is a leader in risk management because tools like production insurance give our farmers the protection they need to safeguard their investments, grow their farms and help meet the Premier’s Agri-Food Growth Challenge."
The new participants to Ontario’s production insurance will join the 14,000 farmers and five million acres in crop land that enjoyed such coverage in 2013.
“The passage of Bill 40 is an encouraging step forward for producers across Ontario,” said Dennis Fischer, Chair, Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency. “A broader range of farmers can now work in partnership with the government to discuss programs that target production issues they are facing. Risk management is top of mind for Ontario sheep producers and this legislation enables discussion around adding to our risk management toolbox.”
