Prince George, B.C. – Following a meeting  of Federal and Provincial Officials,  it has been announced there will be funding  to help farmers and ranchers get back on their feet   in the wake of the devastating  wildfires.

The Canada-British Columbia Wildfires Recovery Initiative,  will provide up to $20 million dollars to help farmers and ranchers with the  costs  incurred to  recover.

It is estimated  30 thousand animals have  yet to be accounted for  and don’t yet have a place to return to even if they were rounded up.  There has also been extensive  damage to  crop  and feed production.

Federal Minister of Agriculture, Lawrence MacAulay says as a farmer,  he understands ” When a fire goes through,  you find things, maybe a year later  that  you realize, and it costs you  four or five thousand dollars to replace it. That’s a big   cost that comes off the bottom line,  So it’s important , that with the Minister of Agriculture from British Columbia, that we are ready to start rolling this money out and it will help somewhat.  But in the end, the farmer seems to pay a lot,  but the fact  is, this money will help  get the farmers  and ranchers back on their feet.”

The fund  will be  cost shared with Ottawa paying $12 million, and Victoria contributing $8 million.

The Federal government is  also committing to  conducting a review of the response to the fires in partnership with the Provincial Government and  First Nations  in an effort to  improve the emergency management  plans, and  identify preventive measures for  the future.