Agriculture and seafood programs
Agriculture and seafood producers and processors can access programs and funding to support their businesses.
On this page:
- Business, innovation and market development programs
- Insurance and income protection programs
- Food safety and traceability programs
- Environmental sustainability programs
- Recognition
Apply for programs
Business, innovation and market development
Programs are available to support farmers and food processors to start, grow and innovate their business and more effectively market their products.
B.C. Agri-Business Planning Program
Accepting applications
The Program provides funding support for agriculture and agrifood producers to support informed decision making and ensure business development.
B.C. Agrifood and Seafood Market Development
Applications are now closed
Provides funding to support businesses to develop marketing skills, purchase market research, create marketing plans and expand export sales.
B.C. Farm Worker Safe Isolation Program
Accepting applications, including retroactive from April 1, 2021
This program provides funding to agriculture employers who have farm workers residing on farm who required self isolation for COVID-19 reasons and did not have an appropriate space on the farm to do so.
B.C. Indigenous Agriculture Development Program
Accepting applications
Provides supports for Indigenous people’s success in the food and agriculture sector through agriculture business support services.
Accepting applications
Provides land matching and business support services to new farmers looking for land to farm as well as landowners interested in finding someone to farm their land.
B.C. Lean for Food Processors Program
Accepting applications
Supports processors to make more informed decisions, optimize operating procedures, improve production capacity, labour productivity and strengthen their business.
B.C. Tree Fruit Replant Program
Provides financial help for growers to replace fruit trees with varieties that will meet consumer demands for high-value, high-quality B.C. fruit.
Provides funding to enhance bee health throughout the province.
Applications are now closed
The Buy BC Partnership Program provides up to $2M in funding per year over the next three years to increase the competitiveness of B.C.’s agrifood and seafood industry in the domestic market. The Program includes both cost-shared funding as well as Buy BC logo licensing.
Applications are now closed
The Food Business Refresh program is a cost-share program that supports local companies to find opportunities to pivot from markets disrupted by COVID 19 to new market channels.
Accepting Applications
The Hazelnut Renewal Program provides funding to remove infected trees to mitigate the spread of Eastern Filbert Blight and to incentivize the planting of new disease-resistant hazelnut trees in British Columbia.
Innovation (Canada-BC Agri-Innovation)
Provides cost-shared funding to support promising new products, practices, processes and technologies that have the potential to generate a benefit to the agriculture sector.
Knowledge and Technology Transfer Program
Provides funding to support knowledge transfer events for B.C. producers and food processors.
Application intake is closed and will re-open in Spring 2022.
Provides funding for planting new raspberry fields with varieties that are intended for fresh or Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) markets.
Small Farm Business Acceleration Program
Applications are now closed
Provides funding for small and new farm businesses to make the investments necessary to achieve farm income growth goals, ensure commercial viability and strengthen financial sustainability.
Insurance and income protection
Agricultural producers can protect their business against severe market volatility and disaster situations through the B.C. government’s Business Risk Management programs.
2021 Wildfire and Drought Agrirecovery
Accepting applications
The 2021 Canada – British Columbia Wildfire and Drought Recovery Initiative provides assistance to help offset the extraordinary costs required to return to production.
2021 Agristability Late Participation
Accepting applications
In response to 2021's extreme weather events a joint agreement between Canada and British Columbia will allow late registration into the AgriStability 2021 program year, until December 31, 2022.
Agriculture Income Protection (AgriStability)
Accepting applications
Helps stabilize farm income by managing the risk of large income declines.
Crop Loss and Damage Due to Wildlife (Agriculture Wildlife)
Accepting applications
Provides compensation for crop loss due to wildlife damage
Income Savings Account (AgriInvest)
Accepting applications
Helps manage small income declines, and provides support for investments to mitigate risks or improve market income.
Accepting applications
Offers protection against an unexpected drop in livestock prices.
Accepting applications
Helps producers manage their risk of crop losses caused by the weather, such as hail, spring frost, excessive rain, flooding and drought.
Food safety and traceability
Food safety and traceability programs provide education and awareness of food safety practices, as well as activities to identify and analyze new and emerging food safety hazards.
Provides rebate to livestock operators who implement approved livestock tag readers.
On-Farm Food Safety (OFFS) Program
Applications are now closed
Provides funding to eligible B.C. farm-based businesses (i.e. growers, packers and ranchers) to address existing food safety issues, increase implementation of food safety practices and to meet national and international food safety requirements.
Post-Farm Food Safety (PFFS) Program
Applications are now closed
Provides funding to eligible B.C. processors, value adding producers, wholesalers, importers and distributors, to address existing food safety issues, increase implementation of food safety practices and to meet national and international food safety requirements.
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Premises Identification links livestock and poultry to geographic locations, and is an important step in protecting the health and safety of animals.
Provides funding to agriculture, agrifood and seafood businesses to implement facility-based traceability practices, systems, infrastructure and technologies.
Traceability Knowledge Transfer
Accepting applications
Supports agrifood and seafood industry organizations to educate their membership about traceability systems, practices, infrastructure and technologies.
Provides funding to agriculture, agrifood and seafood sector organizations and value chains to implement sector-wide or value chain traceability practices, systems, infrastructure and technologies.
Environmental sustainability
Environmental programs are available to support sustainable agriculture practices.
Beneficial Management Practices
Supports producers to implement practices, identified through an Environmental Farm Plan, to increase agricultural sustainability, address climate change and contribute to a cleaner environment.
Accepting applications
Supports producers to complete environmental and climate change risk assessments related to agriculture.
Farm Adaptation Innovator Program
Applications are now closed
Supports collaborative research, demonstration, and knowledge-sharing to enable farm-level adaptation to climate change.
Greenhouse Carbon Tax Relief Grant
Accepting applications
Provides carbon tax relief to B.C. commercial vegetable, floriculture, wholesale nursery and forest seedling greenhouse.
Recognition
Farmers make a significant contribution to the economy and the health and well-being of British Columbia as a whole.
Accepting applications
The Century Farm Award honours pioneers whose farm, ranch or agricultural organization have been active in B.C. for 100 years.
