OTTAWA — So far, 9,682 Canadian dairy farmers have registered for Dairy Direct Payment Program compensation this year, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced today.
They’re in line to receive a combined $459.4 million in 2021 as payment for domestic market access granted to off-shore dairy producers, under the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. That works out to more than $47,000 per farmer on average.
Now in its second year, remaining program payments are being delivered in April 2021. Deadline for application was in March.
Combined with the $250-million CETA on-farm investment program, dairy farmers are tapping into a $2 billion compensation package.