Ken Forth, president of the Foreign Agricultural Resources Management Service (FARMS) said it’s going to impact apple growers particularly hard if it expires before fall harvest.
He’s not happy.
“We have to pay workers when they’re in isolation, we have to pay for food, we have to pay for hotels if we have to take them there,” Forth said in an interview with Farms.com.
Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association said OFVGA the cost of the isolation period ranges from $1,750-$3,125 per worker.
“If you happen to have a house of your own … the cost is about $1700 to isolate your people for two weeks. Now, if you take them to a hotel like I do, that two weeks costs $3200 per worker,” Forth said.
The federal government said it has $50 million available for as long as the Quarantine Act is enforced.
“Nobody knew how long this thing was going to last,” Forth said.
Some apple growers bring workers to Canada in the fall to help with harvest season, he said, and if the Quarantine Act expires those farmers will have to cover the full cost of isolation themselves.
