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Sask Livestock industry requests financial aid

Saskatchewan cattle group asks Ottawa to contribute to AgriRecovery

Sep 6, 2023 | 11:25 AM

The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association (SCA) is urging the federal government to contribute its portion of funds to the AgriRecovery program.

SCA chair Keith Day sent a letter to Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay yesterday saying many cattle producers in Saskatchewan have been hit by drought conditions, some for the fourth and fifth year, resulting in feed shortages going into the fall and winter.

The letter stated some producers are selling off their cattle while the farmers keeping their animals need to buy feed.

“Continued depletion of our cattle herd can have significant negative consequences, including detrimental impacts on our grasslands and the environment,” Day wrote. “In addition, as we are an export dependent industry, continued reduction of our herd inhibits our abilities to take advantage of the many trade deals that have been signed. Finally, the fabric of rural Saskatchewan is our producers. As several consider exiting the industry due to these ongoing challenges, we lose that piece that binds us all.”

The Saskatchewan Government has already announced it would contribute $70 million to help cattle producers coping with drought and feed shortages. The federal government said it has received the request from the province to but still has not announced what its intentions are with regards to AgriRecovery.

alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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