Farmers to get more for predatory losses

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

While expanding the current list of wildlife species and variety of livestock that farmers can be compensated for, Ontario is increasing the compensation farmers can get for damage caused by predatory wildlife. The changes modernize the 30-year-old Livestock, Poultry and Honey Bee Protection Act, which governs wildlife damage compensation.

Through the new Wildlife Damage Compensation Program, livestock producers will receive improved compensation when their livestock or poultry are injured or killed by predatory wildlife or when bee colonies, beehives or beehive equipment are damaged by wildlife. The program is part of Growing Forward, a joint federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

Guidelines and applications will be available July 1 but some of the details were released by the Ontario government today.

The new program  provides a $30 reimbursement for each claim a municipality processes; it provides a $50,000 fund for strategic investments with industry to better understand how to prevent agriculture-wildlife conflicts; and it commits to reviewing the program every two years to ensure it is up-to-date.

Since 2009, almost 13,700 livestock animals were injured or lost due to predators like coyotes or wolves in Ontario. BF