On Wednesday, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister and Special Representative for the Prairies, Jim Carr, announced that the new $165.7-million Agricultural Clean Technology Program is now open to applicants.
“We have been listening to farmers and producers in the Prairies and across Canada," said Carr. "The Agricultural Clean Technology Program will help our farmers and agricultural businesses adopt new technologies so they can continue to lead the way. We also recognize that many farmers use natural gas and propane in their operations, which is why the Government of Canada has made grain drying a priority focus under the program. We will continue to make investments in our people, our products, and our processes to make Canadian agriculture more competitive and resilient in the years to come."
This new program provides farmers and agri-businesses with access to funding to help develop and adopt the latest clean technologies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhance their competitiveness. It will allocate $50 million specifically for the purchase of more efficient grain dryers.
The new program has two funding streams:
- The Adoption Stream will support the purchase and installation of proven clean technologies and solutions that show meaningful reductions in GHG emissions.
- The Research and Innovation Stream will support pre-market innovation including research, development, demonstration and commercialization of agricultural clean technologies.
Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis until funding has been fully committed or otherwise announced by the program.
In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada also announced its intention to return a portion of the proceeds from the price on pollution directly to farmers in backstop jurisdictions (currently Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario), beginning in 2021-22.
It is estimated farmers would receive $100 million in the first year. Returns in future years will be based on proceeds from the price on pollution collected in the prior fiscal year, and are expected to increase as the price on pollution rises.
Further details will be announced later in 2021.
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