What's New for AgriStability and AgriInvest

Canadian Agricultural Partnership

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal-provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector.

Under the Partnership, producers continue to have access to a robust suite of Business Risk Management (BRM) programs to assist in managing significant risks that threaten the viability of their farm and are beyond their capacity to manage.

AgriStability Program Changes

AgriStability is a core program within the BRM suite that provides support when producers experience a large margin decline. A number of important changes to AgriStability are in effect as of the 2018 program year, including:

• A cap to the Reference Margin Limit to ensure producers from all sectors have improved access to support under the program. With the cap, all producers are guaranteed at least 70% of their historical reference margin.
• It’s now easier for new and rejoining participants to enrol in AgriStability. To minimize upfront information required, program fees will be calculated using industry benchmarks rather than actual records. Producers only have to submit their current productive capacity to enrol, significantly reducing their paperwork burden.
• To further simplify the participation process, the information requirements to calculate a benefit have also been reduced for producers who are rejoining the program after not participating for four years.
• Payments less than $250 will no longer be issued in recognition that small payments are unlikely to have a meaningful impact on producers’ risk management.
• A province/territory now has the option to allow producers to enrol in AgriStability after the deadline if there has been a significant downturn in the farm sector and program participation is low. To encourage regular annual enrolment, benefits will be reduced by 20% for producers who enrol late. If triggered, the late participation mechanism helps ensure all producers can access AgriStability support to protect the viability of the farm.
• A provincial or territorial government may require producers to comply with certain conditions to be eligible for a benefit. In these instances, producers who have not met the condition set out by their province will not qualify for benefits. Producers will be notified if their province implements a cross compliance condition.

AgriInvest Program Changes

AgriInvest provides cash flow to help producers manage income declines. To support the changes to AgriStability and ensure more equitable support for all producers, a redistribution of government support from AgriInvest to AgriStability was necessary. As a result, the following changes to AgriInvest will take effect as of the 2018 program year:

• The maximum Allowable Net Sales will decrease from $1.5 million to $1 million and the maximum matching government contributions will decrease from $15,000 to $10,000.
• The minimum payment will be adjusted from $75 to $250 in recognition that small payments are unlikely to have a meaningful impact on producers’ risk management.

Need More Information on AgriStability or AgriInvest

If you have questions about the programs, visit our AgriStability or AgriInvest website. You can also call us toll-free at 1-866-367-8506.