AgriInvest: 2025 program year deadlines, agri-environmental risk assessment requirement

Table of Contents

• Advanced deadlines

  New filing deadlines for AgriInvest

  Starting with the 2025 program year, the deadline to file your AgriInvest program form will be:

  • June 30, 2026 – initial deadline to submit your 2025 form without penalty
  • September 30, 2026 – final deadline to submit your 2025 form with penalty

• Agri-environmental risk assessment requirement

  What the agri-environmental risk assessment requirement is

  If your average Allowable Net Sales (ANS), before the ANS limit is applied, is $1 million or more for the previous 3 program years, you must have an eligible and valid agri-environmental risk assessment to receive matching government contributions.

  What an agri-environmental risk assessment is

  It’s an assessment that identifies agri-environmental risks on farming operations and includes sustainability tools that support a producer in mitigating measures. The assessment gives producers direction on how to improve their farm’s health and safety, add value to their property, reduce costs and improve competitiveness.

  They are used to evaluate:

  • practices in soil and nutrient management
  • crop and pest management
  • water, biodiversity and land use
  • handling and storage of farm inputs
  • waste, by-products, pollution
  • energy efficiency
  • livestock and feed management

  Who must declare they have an agri-environmental risk assessment in place for the 2025 program year

  You must declare you have an eligible agri-environmental risk assessment if your average ANS, before the ANS limit is applied, is $1 million or more for the previous 3 program years (2022 – 2024). Your agri-environmental risk assessment must be valid at some point during your 2025 fiscal year.

  If you’re in your 2025 fiscal year, but have not yet filed your 2023 and/or 2024 AgriInvest forms, you must submit a declaration if you expect your average ANS for 2022 – 2024 to be $1 million or more.

  How your average ANS is calculated

  Your ANS is calculated by subtracting your gross purchases from your gross sales of your allowable commodities.

  • For the 2025 program year, the average ANS is calculated using the 3 previous program years (2022 – 2024).
  • When we calculate your ANS for a program year to determine your matchable deposit, your ANS is limited to $1 million. We don’t apply the $1 million ANS limit when calculating your average ANS to determine if you must have an agri-environmental risk assessment for the program year.

  Example

  • $1,100,000 (2022 ANS) + $1,000,000 (2023 ANS) + $1,250,000 (2024 ANS) = $3,350,000
  • $3,350,000/3 = $1,116,666.67 (average ANS for 2025 program year)

  Eligible agri-environmental risk assessments for AgriInvest

  The following risk assessments are eligible for AgriInvest:

  • Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) Sustainable Beef Production Standard^{Endnote 1}
  • Certified Organic^{Endnote 2}
  • Environmental Farm Plan
  • Nutrient Management Plans (such as manure management)
  • Nutrient Management Plans from 4R Designated or Certified Experts
  • Saskatchewan agri-environmental risk assessment
  • Plan agroenvironnemental de fertilisation
  • Plan d’accompagnement agroenvironnemental

  AgriInvest is unable to provide a list of accredited agri-environmental risk assessment providers

  AgriInvest is not directly involved with the delivery of the agri-environmental risk assessments. You will need to determine which agri-environmental risk assessment is appropriate for your farm and seek out a suitable provider.

  Your agri-environmental risk assessment must be valid during your 2025 fiscal year

  Your agri-environmental risk assessment must be valid at some point during your fiscal year. When you declare that you have an eligible and valid agri-environmental risk assessment in place, you must provide the date it became valid and the date it is valid until (valid from and to dates).

  If you have an agri-environmental risk assessment in place that isn’t listed as eligible

  If your agri-environmental risk assessment isn’t listed as one of the eligible agri-environmental risk assessments, it isn’t eligible for AgriInvest.

  Obtaining a valid agri-environmental risk assessment before your 2025 fiscal year-end if you’re a corporation with a non-calendar year end

  For example, the Nutrient Management Plan requires soil samples prior to seeding and again, post-harvest.

  There are a few agri-environmental risk assessment options for producers to choose. While some options may not be feasible to complete in 2025, others may not require as much time to implement. We encourage you to look at all the options available to find one that will allow you to meet the 2025 requirement.

  If none of the agri-environmental risk assessment options are attainable for your farm, we may consider the circumstances, on a case-by-case basis, and allow for some flexibility.

  When to submit your declaration

  You can submit a declaration once you have an eligible agri-environmental risk assessment in place. Your agri-environmental risk assessment must be valid at some point during your 2025 fiscal year.

  • You should submit your declaration before making your matchable deposit to avoid delays in receiving the matching government contributions. You must make your matchable deposit by the deadline on your Deposit Notice.
  • If you make your deposit before submitting your declaration, we won’t deposit matching government contributions to your AgriInvest account until we receive your declaration. We’ll contact you with the deadline to submit your declaration.
  • If you don’t submit your declaration by the deadline, you won’t be eligible for matching government contributions.

  How to submit a declaration

  You can declare that you have an eligible and valid agri-environmental risk assessment in place for the program year in your My AAFC Account.

  If you’re not a My AAFC Account user, go to My AAFC Account to sign up. If you need help with the online sign-up process, contact us toll-free at 1-866-367-8506.

  If you don’t have access to a computer or internet connection, you can contact us toll-free at 1-866-397-8506 and ask us to send you a declaration form.

  You must submit a declaration every year to receive matching government contributions

  You must submit a declaration every year that your average ANS (before the ANS limit is applied) is $1 million or more, unless you have an eligible agri-environmental risk assessment that is valid for more than one fiscal year.

  Providing a copy of your agri-environmental risk assessment

  You don’t have to provide a copy of your agri-environmental risk assessment to submit your declaration. However, the Administration may contact you later and ask for a copy.

  If you don’t declare you have an agri-environmental risk assessment

  If you must declare that you have an eligible and valid agri-environmental risk assessment in place and you don’t, you won’t receive matching government contributions for the program year.

  • You remain eligible to participate in the AgriInvest program if you filed your AgriInvest form and report farming income (loss) to the Canada Revenue Agency by the final filing deadline.

  Submitting a declaration if you’re in a partnership

  Each partner with an average ANS of $1 million or more must submit a declaration confirming they have an eligible and valid agri-environmental risk assessment.

  Submitting a declaration if your farm is combined with another farm

  If one or more members of a whole farm have an average ANS of $1 million or more, one member must submit a declaration confirming they have an eligible and valid agri-environmental risk assessment.