Farm-Scape is sponsored by Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork Play Audio Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.

Farm-Scape, Episode 1437

Manitoba's Agriculture Minister is expressing her confidence in the ability of the new Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization Program to respond to the current economic plight of swine producers.

Western Canadian swine producers are expressing concern over the ability of the new CAIS program to respond to the economic situation they face...given the extended downturn in the hog market. Manitoba Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk says CAIS is an improvement over previous programs and she's confident any deficiencies can be addressed when its performance undergoes a review.

"As we developed this program we worked very closely with the industry and there were issues that were identified but, what I said to the industry was, the first program AIDA was designed to address the issues facing the pork industry the last time there was a down turn.

This is a better program. It's covering deeper into the margins so it should work for them but it's a new program. We have to work through and find out where there might be issues with it.

There is a lot of money in this program and we have to see how it works. People are thinking it isn't going to work but they haven't applied yet so I think people have to make their applications, see how it works and then, if there are issues with it, we will address them through the review.

No matter what program you put in place there will always be something that's been overlooked or not working just right.

As happened with AIDA, as happened with C-FIP, when the program was designed changes were made and I anticipate that's what will happen here. If something isn't working, there will be adjustments made".

Wowchuk stresses it's too early to make adjustments now because producers still haven't even applied.

She says, at this point, the focus needs to be on getting out the information people are looking for in order that they can make their applications.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.