Livestock Facility Emissions Program

The Livestock Facility Emissions Program supports intensive hog or sheep facilities to adopt practices and technologies or complete facility modifications that will improve their environmental performance, including adaption to climate change and reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

Pre-approved projects improving the environmental performance of an existing and operational livestock facility will be limited to maximum eligible costs of $60 per animal unit (AU) per facility site. Eligible costs will be further funded at a 60/40 (government/applicant) cost-share.

Example:
800 AUs x $60 = $48,000 eligible costs at this facility.
$48,000 eligible costs x 60 per cent cost share = $28,800 maximum funding at this facility.

Note: The Ministry of Agriculture will verify that the AUs on the pre-approval application match the AUs that have been recorded with Agricultural Operations Unit for that facility. If the AUs don’t match, the program will use the lesser of the AUs documented by Agriculture Operations Unit or current AUs housed in the facility.

New buildings (for adding new animal units/production expansion) are not eligible, and businesses must have been in operation for at least two years to be eligible. If a barn is expanded or replaced, it is eligible at $60 per animal unit based on the business’s previous animal units at that site.

Eligible applicants, including applicants with multiple facility sites, can receive funding for more than one project or application but funding cannot exceed the maximum program payment of $500,000 over the five-year program term of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2028). The deadline for submitting applications for pre-approval is December 31, 2027, for projects to be completed by March 31, 2028.

Livestock facility improvement projects must be fully installed, operational and complete before funding will be issued. No interim payments will be made. Program payments are subject to a minimum rebate of $250.

You are eligible to apply for pre-approval if you have a regulated intensive hog or sheep facility that confines 300 or more AUs in continuous commercial housing. The operation must be compliant with The Agricultural Operations Act.

Eligible applicants include:

• Intensive hog or sheep operations in Saskatchewan confining 300 or more AUs in continuous commercial housing (e.g. hog barns); and
• Primary agricultural producers (individual, partnership, co-operative or corporation) who can demonstrate a minimum of $50,000 of annual gross farm income in Saskatchewan in the year of application or the year prior to the application. Individual applicants must be at least 18 years of age; or
• First Nation Bands in the Province of Saskatchewan.

If you have a regulated commercial sheep facility that confines 300 or more AUs in continuous commercial housing, please contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377 for more details on how to apply.

*Supply-managed intensive livestock operations (i.e., dairy, poultry) are ineligible for funding.

Eligibility Criteria/Other Parameters

• The project (and any expenses) must have commenced after April 1, 2023.
• Producers who own, lease or rent property where livestock are grown, bred, kept, raised, displayed, assembled or disposed of require a Saskatchewan Premises Identification (PID) number.
• Persons related to an eligible applicant will be subject to the program’s maximum funding cap for that eligible applicant. Related applicants include:
  • The maximum amount that may be paid to an eligible applicant, including persons related to an eligible applicant, may not exceed the maximum funding cap per applicant/related entity over the life of the program.
  • “Related applicants” include but are not limited to spouses, business partners, relatives living in the same residence, individuals/entities which have controlling interests in more than one operation and operations that are not legally, financially or operationally sufficiently independent of other entities.
  • In determining whether a person/entity is a related applicant, the ministry may consider the following factors:
    • whether the person/entity is engaged in a common enterprise with the applicant as a corporate affiliate or subsidiary, partner, member of a joint venture, trustee of a trust or estate in which the eligible applicant has a substantial beneficial interest or any other relationship which evidences an intention to share the profits or risk of loss of the operation with the eligible applicant;
    • whether the person/entity makes operational decisions in respect of the operation or makes those decisions jointly or in common with the eligible applicant;
    • whether the person is responsible to ensure that day-to-day operations are completed respecting the operation;
    • whether the person/entity and the applicant have access to common assets such as land, machinery, processing equipment, crop storage or animal handling facilities used in the operation;
    • whether the person/entity files separate income and expense statements for income tax purposes;
    • whether the person/entity maintains separate farm or business accounting records;
    • whether the person maintains a separate bank, credit union or trust company account;
    • whether the person has a separate Goods and Services Tax number;
    • whether the person/entity has any other financial interest in the operation; and
    • any other matter that the ministry believes is relevant to the legal, financial or operational independence of the operation.
  • For more information about related entities please send an email to agprograms@gov.sk.ca or contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.

Agri-Environmental Risk Assessment

As a condition to access program funding, applicants are required to review the applicable sections of the Agri-Environmental Risk Assessment before beginning their project.

By participating in this program, applicants understand they must meet all eligibility requirements which includes compliance with The Agricultural Operations Act.

Applications are pre-approved and will be assessed based on the project description. To effectively measure emissions reductions from eligible practices, specific data may need to be collected including but not limited to:

• Number of animals;
• Baseline energy source and estimated consumption (quantity for one year without proposed technology);
• Baseline/estimated quantity of liquid manure (litres/gallons);
• Baseline liquid manure treatment practice;
• Baseline liquid manure storage practice; and
• Intervention description:
  • Description of equipment to be installed or upgraded;
  • New energy type and estimated intervention energy consumption (quantity for one year following project implementation);
  • Volume (L) of acid used;
  • Type of cover installed;
  • Estimate of volume of dry digestate to be produced; and
  • Acres of liquid manure injected and rate (lbsN/ac).

• Efficiency analysis, energy audit or equivalent emissions-reducing analysis.
• New materials and installation costs for the building envelope, lighting and ventilation energy-efficiency upgrades (includes heating, refrigeration, cooling and water heating upgrades, installing energy monitoring controls and equipment). Eligibility is conditional upon improvements that reduce greenhouse gas source (e.g. reduced natural gas or power consumption). Some examples include:
  • Roof and wall insulation;
  • Replacing doors and/or windows with more energy efficient models;
  • Switching from incandescent to LED lighting;
  • Heating pads to replace heat lamps;
  • Improving ventilation efficiency, e.g. Switching from side to chimney mounted ventilation, adding shutters and winter covers;
  • Boiler heaters to replace less efficient heating systems; and
  • Installing energy monitoring/smart controllers and equipment.
• On-farm energy source generation, switching and storage (wind, geothermal, solar) to replace/increase efficiency of fossil fuel energy sources.
• Purchase, modification and improvement of water use equipment to increase energy efficiency. Eligibility is conditional upon the practice leading to reduction in GHG emissions.
  • Variable flow pumps
• Third-party freight, labour and installation costs.

Other eligible expenses related to liquid manure management for emissions reductions may include:

• Anaerobic digestion of liquid manure with off-farm organics, conversion of biogas into electricity, heat or renewable natural gas.
• Acidification of liquid manure.
• Installation of methane collectors, flaring equipment, catalytic oxidation and bio‑filters, etc. to convert methane into CO₂.
• Impermeable negative air liquid manure storage covers with methane or biogas capture.
• Solid-liquid separation systems for manure or digestate.
• Investment in specialized/modification to equipment for improved manure application (e.g. liquid injection) including flow metres, dragline hoses and reels, injector openers, sub-canopy applicators, aeration/infiltration tools and spreader tank agitators. Eligibility is conditional upon using nutrients more efficiently such as liquid injection, or lower rate/acre. It may be advantageous for swine producers to have control of manure application equipment vs custom application.

Ineligible activities or expenses include:

• Projects (and any expenditures) commencing prior to April 1, 2023.
• Invoices not issued in the applicant's name.
• Activities or expenses related to efficiency improvements for new facilities (greenfield/new construction) or expansion of existing facilities.
• Purchase of land/property or payment of easements.
• Taxes, financing fees, interest charges or legal fees.
• Applicant/employee labour and administration costs.
• Fees paid to third parties for application support.
• Basic repair and maintenance or ongoing expenses.
• Extended warranty or insurance costs.
• Used, leased or fabricated materials and infrastructure, including equipment purchased at auction - to be eligible, new items and infrastructure must be purchased from a recognized dealer. For the purposes of the program, a recognized dealer is typically defined as a business where manufacturing is a key service or the business is an authorized dealer for a certain item(s).
• In‐kind freight/mileage.
• In-kind equipment use.
• In‐kind materials such as rocks, sand, gravel or clay.
• In-kind payment (e.g., trading) for third party services/supplies.
• Materials from inventory.
• Any submissions for rebate utilizing a third-party contractor must be from a contractor who is third-party arm's length, or the submission will be considered in-kind labour and original invoices for all materials will be required.
• Costs claimed for expenses/activities which may receive funding under other Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership programs, or any other government grant, rebate or assistance program.
• Upgrades to temporary sheep housing facilities (lambing barns, etc.)
• Upgrades to or purchase of specialized feeding equipment to implement more efficient feeding regimes.
• Upgrades to or purchase of specialized watering equipment to implement more efficient watering regimes.

Review the Livestock Facility Emissions Program details including eligibility. Applicants are encouraged to apply early and submit their claims as soon as their projects are completed.

Claim forms will be sent to eligible applicants when pre-approval for the project has been obtained. When the project is fully constructed and operational for agricultural use, claims for funding may be submitted. All invoices must be paid in full before applying for the rebate. Please submit copies of invoices as originals will not be returned. Please note that a post-implementation site inspection may be conducted by the Ministry to confirm projects are implemented in accordance with the project approval and/or claim.

Applications for pre-approval must be submitted by December 31, 2027, for projects to be completed by March 31, 2028.

Projects must be complete and claims for funding must be submitted by the earlier of 18 months from written project approval or before March 31, 2028.

Agri-Environmental Risk Assessment
As a condition to access program funding, applicants are required to review the applicable sections of the Agri-Environmental Risk Assessment before beginning their project.

Download the Livestock Facility Emissions Program Pre-Approval Application Form

Note: It is recommended this application form is saved to your computer before entering in your information.

Completed application packages can be submitted by email to agprograms@gov.sk.ca or mailed to:
Livestock Facility Emissions Program
Ministry of Agriculture, Programs Branch
329 – 3085 Albert Street
Regina, SK  S4S 0B1