Conditions placed on wildlife damage program

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

by SUSAN MANN

Farmers wanting to get compensated for livestock killed or injured by predators must have both a premises identification and farm business registration number by April 1.

Provincial agriculture ministry spokesperson Susan Murray says by email farmers must have the farm business registration number to qualify for compensation under the new wildlife damage program that came into effect in July 2011 to ensure the funds are going to “the people the program is designed for – Ontario farmers.”

Farmers can get their farm business registration number by contacting Agricorp, which administers the program, at: fbr@agricorp.com. The requirement to have the number for farm property tax and other purposes was first implemented in 1993 so most farmers have their number by now. It has to be renewed annually.

Murray says the need for the premises identification number was included “to help us link farm animals and crops to geographic locations for disease, health, food safety, emergency response and economic purposes.”

She says it’s a critical first step “to building an effective traceability system and was introduced as a requirement for programs across the ministry.”

For instructions on how to register your premises, contact the ministry’s Agriculture Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.

The wildlife damage program provides financial assistance to producers whose livestock, poultry and honeybees have been damaged or killed by wildlife. It was introduced last July but the requirement for the premises identification and farm business registration numbers is being phased in. The program is part of the federal, provincial and territorial governments’ Growing Forward initiative. BF