News release
FINAL PAYMENTS ACCELERATED FOR GRAINS AND OILSEEDS FARMERS
OTTAWA, Ontario, July 28, 2006 - The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, today announced that final payments through the $755 million Grains and Oilseeds Payment Program (GOPP) are now being delivered. Final cheques started going in the mail today to 16,000 producers and when all cheques have been sent, more than 120,000 producers will have received a final payment.
"One of the first things this new government did was to increase the amount of money paid to producers under GOPP, so they would receive as much money as possible with their first payment," said Minister Strahl. "I am pleased that we are now sending out final payments two months earlier than anticipated."
The GOPP is a one-time, $755 million program for producers of grains, oilseeds, or special crops.
To date, approximately $621 million has been delivered to producers through GOPP initial payments. Payments are based on average net sales of eligible commodities. The initial payment early this year was based on 7.47% of net sales and the final payment is based on 1.28%.
During its first six months in office, in addition to accelerating payments under GOPP, this government has acted quickly to demonstrate its commitment to Canadian farmers by:
- committing a total of $1.5 billion to agriculture in the May 2 federal budget. Of this, $950 million will be delivered to producers through changes related to the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program and another $50 million through a new Cover Crop Protection Program;
- committing to create separate catastrophic disaster assistance and income stabilization programs that will be simpler and more responsive to the needs of producers;
- passing legislation to improve cash advance programs. As an interim measure while the changes are being implemented, an Enhanced Spring Credit Advance Program is now in place to make more money available to farmers through interest free loans;
- initiating a national review of Production Insurance to identify gaps and recommend options for enhancement so that producers can benefit from an improved program; and
- maintaining the Farm Improvement and Marketing Cooperatives Loans Act program and asking officials to consult with industry on program improvements.
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For more information, media can contact:
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
(613) 759-7972
1-866-345-7972
Jeff Howard
Press Secretary
Minister Strahl's office
613-759-1059
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