(Montreal) The Minister of Agriculture, André Lamontagne, announced on Monday the opening of registration for the second cohort of an 85 million program which aims to support agricultural producers in their transition to more sustainable practices.
“The Ministerial Initiative to Reward Agri-Environmental Practices” is one of the key measures of the Government of Quebec’s Sustainable Agriculture Plan 2020-2030.
This measure rewards farmers who adopt agri-environmental practices that go beyond regulatory requirements, focusing on crop diversification, off-season soil protection, reduction in herbicide use, use of untreated seeds insecticides and landscaping favorable to biodiversity.
According to government data, when the first cohort of the Initiative was rolled out in February 2022, nearly 1,850 companies signed up for it in less than 24 hours.
Samuel Ostiguy, co-owner of a family dairy farm, was among those who signed up for the program last year.
Government funding has enabled the farmer to reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides and to experiment with different methods that enrich biodiversity on the farm he owns with his sister and parents.
“The funding may not cover all the expenses”, but “it reassures us”, indicated Samuel Ostiguy, specifying that “the Initiative also provides the financial incentive that is often lacking to justify setting up an agri-environmental project”.
The farmer was one of the guests at a press conference by Minister Lamontagne on Monday in Montreal.
The Minister announced that the second registration period for the Initiative will run from March 6 to March 31, 2023 or until a budget envelope of 29 million is exhausted.
Nearly 1,000 companies will be able to register for the program and the total compensation paid may reach $50,000 per company.
The Minister of Agriculture indicated that the success of this measure during the first registration period “testifies to its relevance and its mobilizing force”.
A convincing first cohort according to the minister
André Lamontagne mentioned that 96% of companies participating in the first cohort have resorted to more sustainable practices.
Thus, among the participants, practices for reducing the use of herbicides were applied by 41% of the companies and on areas of more than 63,000 hectares.
The use of seeds not treated with insecticides has been implemented by 25% of the participating companies and on areas of nearly 25,000 hectares, again according to the Minister.
Also, 58% of participating companies have carried out “developments favorable to biodiversity”, and this, on areas of 16.8 million square meters.
According to the Executive Director of Équiterre, who was present at the press conference, the budget envelope of 29 million and the opening of registrations for the second cohort are “steps in the right direction”.
Colleen Thorpe hopes that this initiative, which sends a “positive message”, has a “ripple effect on all agricultural policies” of the government.
“The current challenges of climate change and loss of life, rising prices on all sides as well as exhaustion, to name a few, require an intensification of support for agriculture in order to quickly make the transition ecological and solidarity. Our food future depends on it,” indicated Équiterre’s executive director.
In a press release, the Producteurs de grains du Québec (PGQ) welcomed Minister Lamontagne’s announcement.
“State compensation through this program is essential to allow producers to continue modernizing their practices while remaining competitive. It also contributes to maintaining the mobilization of the community, which invests its own resources in addition. However, it seems important to us that the government develop a long-term visionary approach in order to consolidate the confidence of producers and support their commitment,” wrote Christian Overbeek, president of the PGQ.
“The Ministerial Initiative for Rewarding Agri-Environmental Practices” is administered by La Financière agricole du Québec.