Federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture ministers reached a new five-year Next Policy Framework (NPF) deal on Friday in Saskatoon..The new agricultural policy framework deal is called the “Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.” It replaces the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which is set to expire in March 2023..The NPF is the primary funding for Canada’s agricultural programs and policies over the next five years..For the past 20 years, the funding stagnated and the agriculture ministers were looking for an increase in funding. .The total funding equates to about $3.5 billion, which includes $500 million in new funding..The Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program will receive $250 million of funding and helps the agricultural sector by supporting ecological goods and services..Federal Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau, said she is pleased with the increase in funding, as the provinces were seeking a 25% increase..“We were happy when the federal government put that offer on the table,” said Bibeau..In 2023, the AgriStability compensation rate will increase by 10%, which Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture David Marit, said is what the industry was looking for..Over the next year, Bibeau said the goal is to finish the negotiations on the new AgriStablity model by making it faster, simpler, and predictable. .Bibeau said that programs will be put in place to help with the concerns of input costs, labour shortages, and supply chain issues..Provinces will each “explore opportunities to further integrate climate risk to identify incentives and conduct a pilot for producers who adopt environmental practices that also reduce production risks,” said Bibeau..Any producer with net sales exceeding $1 million needs an agri-environmental risk assessment by 2025 in order to receive AgriInvest contributions.
