Couillard reassured the farmers

Stéphane Bouchard

Thursday, August 3, 2017 22:13

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Thursday, August 3, 2017 22:13

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Philippe Couillard would like to see the farmers affected by the hail storm that occurred in July in Lac-Saint-Jean to be compensated by his government before the end of the year.

Thursday morning, the prime minister gave the assurance to farmers that the government of québec, in collaboration with the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA), was going to find an ” exceptional solution to this situation is exceptional “.

In front of twenty farmers in the Lac-Saint-Jean, the prime minister of Quebec has committed to act quickly and compensate the best possible producers affected by this disaster.

For many dairy producers and vegetable growers, mainly located in Saint-Gédéon and Hébertville, the hail storm of July 21, has been disastrous. The storm of ten minutes has destroyed all of their crops and caused losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

For companies affected, the hail storm has created problems that must be resolved in the short term. “We need to find a solution for the farmers who have a problem of liquidity, problems of customers to serve, supply problems,” said the prime minister.

LOSSES TO PREDICT

If Mr. Couillard has come to offer his support, it is shown, however, realistic. The farmers in the Lac-Saint-Jean will suffer necessarily of losses, even with the help of governments.

“There are very rarely any systems that cover 100% of the losses. By contrast, the insurance programs are not necessarily adapted to exceptional situations like that. “

Mr. Couillard has therefore committed to review the compensation programs, in collaboration with the minister of Agriculture, Laurent Lessard, are no longer necessarily suited to today’s agriculture.

“In the longer term, there are changes in climate, changes in the industry, which ensure that the current programs of insurance are not quite suitable. For example, the yields, because of the technology of the land, are no longer what they were, ” said the prime minister.

The UPA OPTIMISTIC

Although there are still a lot of elements to be clarified, both on the part of the federal government and the provincial, the regional president of the UPA, Mario Théberge, remains confident.

“I think that Mr. Couillard has seized the urgency of the situation. He is committed to finding a quick solution and this is what we wanted to hear. “

According to Mr. Théberge, a provincial program special is necessary for the survival of farmers affected by this disaster. “I’ve seen estimates of what the producers are going to receive from the Financière agricole, and there are some who will be disappointed. It will be necessary to build something that does not exist. “