After many delays, farmers in PEI have finally submitted their application for federal compensation through the AgriRecovery program for losses caused by last year’s post-tropical storm Dorian.
The application has been submitted on behalf of corn, beef, hog, dairy, and apple producers, after the producers finally finished tallying the losses they sustained during the September 2019 storm.
“If Ottawa agrees with the province, and agrees with the data that was provided, then we can potentially have a payout sometime later this year,” PEI Federation of Agriculture executive director Robert Godfrey told CBC News.
The federation had worked with PEI’s Department of Agriculture to create a survey to assess the storm damage dealt to the province’s producers. In addition to the farmers’ application, PEI also put in its own application for federal relief.
Godfrey said that the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed the application process, since the surveys went out in mid-March during the outbreak.
The executive director did not disclose the financial extent of the damages recorded, but confirmed with CBC News that it is “in the millions.”
“Now that the application’s in Ottawa’s hands, we are hoping that things move quickly and that we get money to producers,” said Godfrey.
“Because we are talking millions of dollars of damage.”
Godfrey also mentioned that producers had shared their frustrations with him over the time it took to submit the application for federal assistance.
“The process is very comprehensive, as it should be,” he said. “But certainly it’s been drawn out to a point now where people are starting to wonder where are we on this, why hasn’t this been completed and the federation shares that at this point.”
