SASKATCHEWAN PLEASED WITH SIGNS OF FARM SUPPORT IN FEDERAL BUDGET

Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Minister Mark Wartman said he is cautiously optimistic that the agriculture references in yesterday's federal budget will pay off for Saskatchewan farmers.

Wartman said Federal Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl appears to have heard the messages delivered by provincial farm leaders in their April 11th trip to Ottawa.

"I really need to thank the representatives from the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, National Farmers Union, Saskatchewan Canola Growers, Farm Support Review Committee and Porcupine Area Disaster Group that accompanied me on that trip," Wartman said. "The unified provincial voice and the first-hand accounts of the farm crisis that they were able to put forward to Minister Strahl and others lent tremendous weight to our request for support."

Saskatchewan did not get the immediate cash payment of $575 million that farmers need for spring seeding and was requested during the April 11th trip. However, Wartman said he was pleased to see the federal government commit additional resources to agriculture in its budget, but would reserve his endorsement of the move until more details became available.

"The new money for agriculture is promising, but the federal government has not provided us with the details on how this money will be invested," Wartman said. "They have indicated that some of the funding will be used for disaster programming, biofuels, science and innovation, market development and for a program targeted at low-income farmers. We are pleased the federal government recognized the situation in north east Saskatchewan."

Wartman said he understands that the bulk of the funding announced in the federal budget will be for programming that is solely funded by the federal government. Wartman also stressed that the Province will continue to press Ottawa for a long-term solution to the affordability issue and changes to the current 60-40 cost-sharing formula.

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For More Information, Contact:

Scott Brown Agriculture and Food Regina Phone: (306) 787-4031