Following the declaration of a provincial state of emergency due to multiple spring wildfires, AFSC is supporting the response by working with affected producers to meet their specific needs during this challenging time.
We encourage our clients impacted by the wildfires to note the following items.
Perennial Insurance: For clients who have acres insured under the Moisture Deficiency Insurance (MDI) product, a Pasture Spot Loss Fire Benefit is included.
- A minimum of 100 acres must be burned to qualify for compensation.
- The period of insurance starts March 1 and covers accidental fire and fire caused by lightning.
- In the year following the fire, only unburned acres are eligible for MDI coverage
- The indemnification for the Pasture Spot Loss Fire Benefit covers up to 200 per cent of MDI coverage over two years which recognizes it takes time for pasture to recover.
- Clients are required to file their claims within 14 days of the fire event.
- Complete details can be found in the Benefits for 2023.
Annual Insurance: The Hail Endorsement covers insured acres for losses caused by hail, accidental fire, or fire by lightning.
- A wide range of crops are covered, including cereals, oilseeds, pulses, pedigreed, organic, silage/greenfeed crops, potatoes, and others.
AgriStability considers losses caused by accidental fire, or fire by lightning when calculating the participant’s program year margins.
- If the participant’s program year margins fall below 70 per cent of the historical Olympic average margin, a benefit could be triggered. All relevant factors such as reduced income, increased expenses or reduced inventory are used to determine a potential benefit. Examples of potential impacts to participant’s margins due to the wildfires could be, but are not limited to:
- Increased expenses due to additional feed purchases for lost pastures or feed stacks.
- Inventory losses such as crops, hay, and livestock.
- Reduced income from production losses including unseeded acres.
Lending
- Within existing lending programs, clients may be eligible for financial relief including interest only payments, approval of short-term working capital loans, extended amortization, deferrals (principal and interest payments) and restructuring, depending on the individual situation and upon approval.
Other Key Points
- Producers with Hay Insurance and those with Annual Production Insurance who have not elected the Hail Endorsement option are covered for fire caused by lightning but not for accidental fires.
- Honey production is not specifically covered for accidental fire loss.
Our team is ready to work with our clients to meet your individual needs and encourage you to contact your AFSC branch office for any information you need at this time.
