Ontario’s tree fruit and grape growers will get $22.3 million in federal funding to help rip up older trees and vines and bring in either new or improved varieties or other crops altogether.
Niagara region MP Dean Allison announced Ottawa’s contribution Friday at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre at Lincoln.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs expect to soon announce full details of what’s designed to be a federal-provincial orchards and vineyards transition program.
Making such changes in an orchard or vineyard is expensive, the government said in a release Friday, because of the time it takes for trees and vines to mature and provide a suitable return on investment. This funding is meant to help growers with some of the costs associated with making these transitions and remaining competitive.
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Farmers who take part in this program will have to commit to keeping their land available to agriculture for a set period of time.
“Funding announced today will help growers begin to transition to more profitable and viable crops, so they can compete in the global marketplace,” Allison said.
This funding follows a $45.6 million announcement in November toward eradicating plum pox virus, which affects tender fruit such as peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots. The additional funding announced Friday is also expected to maintain detection and surveillance for the disease and provide financial assistance to affected producers.
The new federal/provincial funding is expected to be over and above other measures the provincial government recently put in place for these sectors, including $3.8 million in June for juice grape stock removal, to help cut back potential plant health risks, and $30 million in December as direct income support for horticulture producers.
