Resolution No. 14-03M

BE IT RESOLVED, that SARM lobby our Provincial Government to provide financial assistance to farmers in the fight against grasshopper infestation in rural Saskatchewan, similar to that offered in Alberta.

Response From Honourable Clay Serby, Minister of Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food & Rural Revitalization:

While the government of Saskatchewan appreciates the fact that producers would like to see a grasshopper compensation program implemented in Saskatchewan similar to the one in Alberta, the fiscal reality is such that the Province of Saskatchewan does not have the funds to implement such a program at this time. Issues such as drought and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) have placed a significant demand on provincial resources during the past and present fiscal years.

Alberta is fortunate in the fact that their oil revenues provide them with the financial means to assist their producers, either unilaterally or on a cost-shared basis. Saskatchewan clearly does not have the same level of revenues. Furthermore, other insects such as aphids, diamondback moths, wheat midge and bertha armyworm were also prevalent this summer in some areas, and compensation will not be provided to cover the costs of controlling these insects.

Grasshoppers are an insurable cause of loss under crop insurance. Producers are required to take whatever control measures are reasonable in their area and in their circumstances to control losses. The Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) provides insurance coverage for nature's uncontrollable factors. Producers are expected to monitor their fields and use appropriate prevention and control measures to mitigate their losses. However, in cases where the condition of the crop is such that control measures are not economically feasible, or in spite of all reasonable prevention and control efforts, crop losses still occur, insured producers have protection through their crop insurance contract.