Stream 4: Berry Removal/Renewal is open to existing blueberry growers removing their fields and existing cranberry growers renewing their fields.
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Stream 4: Berry Replant/Renewal Overview
Project Length
Successful Stream 4 applicants will have up to 12 months from time of approval to complete their project.
Funding Amounts
| Fields without Production Insurance Plant Loss Claim | Funding Limit Per Farm Operation |
|---|---|
| $2,500/acre blueberry removal
$5,000/acre cranberry renewal |
Min: one (1) contiguous acre
Max: 20 acres or 15% of existing acreage, whichever is greater Funding Cap: up to a maximum of $750,000 (duration of program) |
What does the funding limit mean?
Each farm operation can apply for a minimum of one (1) contiguous acre per project up to a maximum of 20 acres or 15% of existing perennial food crop acreage (leased and owned), whichever is greater.
The total funding available for each farm operation over the duration of the program is capped at a maximum of $750,000.
Plant Loss Claims
All applicants are required to indicate if they have been paid a Production Insurance Plant Loss Claim from January 1, 2023 onward or have a Plant Loss Claim in progress for the field/block being removed/renewed. Producers with fields or blocks that production insurance has PAID a Plant Loss Claim (from January 1, 2023 onwards), or an active Plant Loss Claim is under consideration for the field or block being removed/renewed are not eligible for stream 4 funding.
Applicants who indicate they are enrolled in Production Insurance will have their information (including Production Insurance Policy Number, Physical Address of planting/removal location and Land Titles Parcel Identification (PID) number) sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Business Risk Management Branch to verify claim status.
Book a Call
Starting on November 12, 2025, you can book a 10-minute phone consultation with an IAF staff member to discuss your ERP application.
Prior to booking a call, please start a draft application, as you must provide your application ID number (example: ERP-202526-0####) when you book the call. This gives you and the IAF staff member a specific application to reference and provide support for during the 10-minute phone call.
Applicants may be limited to one phone call appointment if demand is high. The IAF Team is also available at 250.940.6150 during business hours and by email at erp@iafbc.ca.
Eligibility Criteria
All ERP applicants must meet the program-wide eligibility criteria AND stream-specific eligibility criteria. Applicants are responsible for reviewing and understanding both program-wide and stream-specific eligibility criteria before submitting their application.
Review the program-wide eligibility criteria
Review the stream-specific eligibility criteria
Program-Wide Eligibility Criteria
- Be an existing blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, tree fruit, or wine grape grower in British Columbia, farming over 1 acre of perennial crops.
- Be the owner or lessee of the land.
- Indicate if you have been paid a Production Insurance Plant Loss Claim from January 1, 2023, onwards or have a Plant Loss Claim in progress for the field/block being removed/renewed.
- Can demonstrate financial viability to complete and maintain a project.
- Be in good standing with council(s) identified by the corresponding industry association (see stream-specific criteria).
- Maintain the property as a commercial operation for at least four (4) years after removal/renewal.
- Blueberry removal costs: provided removal of plants takes place after application approval and removal has not been funded through other programs.
- Cranberry renewal costs: provided renewal of plants takes place after application approval and renewal has not been funded through other programs.
- The removal/renewal site must be in British Columbia.
- Each field being removed/renewed must cover a minimum one (1) contiguous acre.
Ineligible Applicants
- Annual crop producers, forage producers, non-commercial producers, and farmland outside of BC.
- Sectors that do not have an opportunity assessment completed and pre-approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
- Producers that do not meet stream-specific criteria.
- Producers with active Plant Loss Claims are not eligible for Stream 4: Berry Removal/Renewal.
- Applicants with an active project with the Perennial Crop Renewal Program (PCRP) (2023-2025) are not eligible to apply for ERP.
Ineligible Activities and Expenditures
- New plantings (including farm expansions and the establishment of crops on bare land or land previously utilized for non-perennial crops or non-food perennial crops).
- Home nurseries: the cost of plants (including maintenance fees).
- Good and Services Tax (GST).
- In-kind expenses.
- Taxes and duty or shipping costs.
- Other planting or removal costs including but not limited to: rental of equipment, purchase of posts and wire, labour etc.
- Interplanting in existing orchards or vineyards (planting young plants between each existing plant in the row).
- Ongoing annual royalty payments (per acre, per linear foot, or per fruit sold).
- Ineligible commodity-specific criteria as outlined in the sector-specific planting/removal guidelines.
Stream 4: Berry Removal/Renewal Criteria
Blueberry Removal Eligibility Criteria
Blueberry removal funding is for producers exiting the industry or reducing their blueberry acreage.
- Producers exiting the industry or reducing their blueberry acreage.
- Be in good standing with the BC Blueberry Council with all levies paid on fresh and processed production from the previous year.
- Must remove supporting infrastructure (posts, wire, irrigation) and dispose of appropriately (off-site recycling or landfill).
- Blueberry producers will receive a flat rate of $2,500 per whole acre of blueberry removal upon project completion.
- Must be a complete acre. Partially completed acres will not be funded. (i.e. 2.6 acres will be funded at 2 acres)
Cranberry Renewal Eligibility Criteria
Cranberry renewal funding is for producers renewing their cranberry fields.
- Existing cranberry grower in the province of British Columbia.
- Removing cranberries and planning to replant with a high yielding variety of cranberries.
- Have a license to grow cranberries from the BC Cranberry Marketing Commission.
- Cranberry producers will receive a flat rate of $5,000 per whole acre of removal upon project completion.
- Must be a complete acre. Partially completed acres will not be funded. (i.e. 2.6 acres will be funded at 2 acres).
Applications
Important Dates
Applications for Stream 4: Berry Removal/Renewal open on November 12, 2025. Applicants have the opportunity to prepare and draft an application before submission.
Applications Open: November 12, 2025
Webinar: November 13, 2025, 12 PM Pacific (Watch the recording)
Submissions Open: November 25, 2025, 9 AM Pacific
Applications Close: December 8, 2025, 4 PM Pacific
Removal/renewal activities cannot start until after an application has been approved.
Application Process
Applicants apply through the IAF Client Portal. The application process and required documents are specific to each funding stream. The application process will generally consist of:
Visit IAF’s Client Portal and create an account. To create an account you will need to provide your organization’s information, including:
- Name
- Contact details
- Type of organization
- BC ID / CRA numbers
- Primary contact
- And more
If your organization is a corporation or a partnership, you’ll need to submit a copy of the BC Corporate Registry that includes the name of signatories for the organization. Please email it to funding@iafbc.ca after creating your account.
IAF will validate your account, then you will receive an email granting access to the portal. Please note this can take up to two business days.
Select the Enhanced Replant Program from Funding Opportunities, and provide:
- Additional applicant information, including commodity type
- Parcel Identification Number PID and civic address for each planting or removal/renewal site
- Planting proposal, including field size (acres), variety, planting density, site map etc.
- Total Plant Cost (if applicable) and Funding Request
- All applicants may also be required to complete and submit an AF Demographic Survey with their ERP application; Confirmation ID numbers are submitted with each ERP application.
- Participants of the Business Risk Management (BRM) program, will also be asked to provide:
- Production Insurance Policy Number, physical address of the planting that is being removed or replanted; and the Land Titles Parcel Identification (PID) number. How to Find the BC Land Titles Parcel ID (PID) Using a Civic Address.
- Any payments received for Production Insurance plant loss claim or if a plant loss claim is in progress.
- AgriStability Participant Identification Number, if enrolled.
- Supporting documents. These documents can be uploaded through the IAF Client Portal as attachments to the application.
IAF staff are available to answer questions regarding eligible activities, costs and/or the application process. IAF may also contact applicants for additional information or clarification to assess their application. Applicants can contact erp(at)iafbc.ca with any questions about the program or to receive support in developing their application or book an appointment for a phone call.
Applicants are encouraged to include only activities they are confident will be completed on time and within budget limits.
Applying to the program is not a guarantee of funding. Applications that are incomplete or do not meet eligibility criteria will not fulfill the program’s requirements and may adversely affect your funding decision.
Need help with IAF’s Client Portal?
We’ve created a number of tutorials and FAQs about the IAF Client Portal to help you navigate this resource successfully.
Review and Adjudication
Prior to funding decisions being made, project applications are screened and reviewed by IAF and may be reviewed by a technical expert. The application review process will include:
- Ensuring application completeness.
- Organization/Applicant eligibility check.
- Project eligibility check.
Upon successful completion of review by IAF staff, 10% of eligible applications will be selected for further audit and review. This audit will include a secondary review of applications by an Accredited Professional focused on validating/verifying any or all the technical information supplied or required. Additional information may be requested from the applicant before it can be considered for funding. The following audit criteria may be considered:
- Owner/Lessee Farm Operation details
- Total acreage
- Planting density
- Finance and marketing plan
- Financial Review
- Contribution Margin Template for positive returns
- Compliance Checks
- Food safety standards
- Valid water license
- Soil test results
- Varietal Assessment
- Additional Assessments
- Production insurance
- AgriStability participation
- Environmental Farm Plan (EFP)
Applications that fail the audit requirements may be deemed ineligible and not funded.
Program Scoring Criteria
All eligible applications will be scored based on specific criteria provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food; this may include:
- Confirmed plant order for all fields at the time of application.
- Enrollment in Production Insurance.
- Enrollment in AgriStability or vertical integration that makes them ineligible for AgriStability.
- A current Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) or in the process of renewing/applying for one.
- A finance & marketing plan that meets Ministry requirements and was developed within the last five years.
Additional Scoring Criteria
The additional scoring criteria for Stream 4: Berry Removal/Renewal includes:
Stream 4: Berry Removal/Renewal
- Blueberry Removal: Fields are being removed due to high levels of Blueberry Scorch Virus.
- Cranberry Removal: Removing old varieties including Stevens, Berman, Pilgrim, Ben Lear, McFarlin, or Grygleski Hybrid 1.
Funding will be awarded to high-scoring applicants first, until the program allocations are exhausted.
Funding Notifications & Obligations
If the project is approved, IAF will inform the applicant of the details of the decision and any associated terms and conditions by email. Notification will be provided within 8 weeks of a completed application submission. Please note, if an application is sent back for further information or revisions this will reset the application review timeline. All funding decisions are final.
Funding is application and project-specific and must be used for the approved project and eligible expenses as outlined. Funds are non-transferable. Retroactive approvals are eligible for ERP. Replanting activities are eligible provided the purchase was made on or after January 1, 2022.
Approved replant projects, including those that receive a conditional approval, must be completed within 24 months of funding decision notification. Approved removal/renewal projects must be completed within 12 months of funding decision notification. Applicants without a confirmed plant order may receive conditional funding approval, pending the submission of an order confirmation to IAF. Conditional approval is valid for 60 days; failure to submit an order confirmation will result in cancellation of conditional approval. Applicants would be required to resubmit pending reopening of an application window. No project extensions will be considered.
Approved applicants will be published annually on the IAF website, highlighting funding awarded to producers and key program achievements to date.
Successful applicants must complete all removal/renewal or replanting activities, submit a project report and/or successfully complete an on-site field inspection prior to receiving payment. Project report(s) must be completed and submitted to IAF, with receipts and invoices (as applicable), to be considered for funding reimbursement. It is important the final report is submitted on time and with all required information. Expenses will be reimbursed based on the submitted receipts, the approved project proposal, and the corresponding cost-share ratio. Payments will be made in CAD with exchange rates calculated at the time of payment unless a proof of exchange rate is provided. All reporting will be completed via the IAF Client Portal.
Cranberry renewal and blueberry removal projects will be reimbursed based on a flat rate per acre following the completion of removal activities. Final reporting will be required before funding payments are issued.
Final project reports will include, but may not be limited to:
- Replant Projects: Image(s) of each project location, showing planted rows and installed irrigation.
- Replant/Removal Projects: Image(s) of each project location, showing all plants and obsolete infrastructure have been removed and disposed of
- Confirmed total number of plants/acres planted or removed
- Provide supporting documents (receipts, invoices etc.)
- Producer planting survey
- Attestation of work complete
A progress report(s) may be required for projects that exceed 12-months in duration.
If a report is submitted by a producer, shows evidence of inter-planting, the project will automatically require an on-site field inspection and may be ineligible for funding.
Field inspection process: Approved projects selected to participate in the field inspection audit will be automatically notified when a final report is completed / submitted to IAF through the IAF Client Portal.
Field inspections will be conducted for a minimum of 25% of completed projects, by a qualified professional scheduling an on-site visit with the producer. Field inspections will take place within 3-6 months of project completion and planting. Final payments will be based on the outcome of the inspection and assessment of the project’s progress.
Criteria for each inspection could include, but is not limited to:
- Verify project location.
- Verify the commodity planted.
- Verify the source of planting stock and varieties.
- Assess site preparation and weed control.
- Measure average plant spacing and row spacing.
- Measure field area.
- Assess plant quality in terms of overall health.
- Ensure support system/trellising is in place and trees are tied (if applicable).
- Ensure permanent irrigation system is installed.
- Verify the previous planting in field block have been removed and obsolete infrastructure has been removed and disposed of.
- Take photos.
Note: Projects that fail the field inspection requirements may be deemed ineligible and not funded.
Payments will only be issued to producers following project completion and/or field inspection.
This program is funded by the Government of British Columbia. As such, acknowledgement of funding is required when publicly communicating about a project and/or funding. To ensure appropriate acknowledgement, all communications and marketing materials, including public announcements or social media posts, must be pre-approved by the IAF Communications Team. Details on correctly acknowledging funding can be found on the project resource hub. Materials must be submitted via the IAF Client Portal.
Ready to Apply?
Applications are closed
Thank you to all who applied for Stream 4. Keep an eye on your email for updates about your application.
Resources
FAQ
No, if you were approved for a Stream 3: Berry Replant project last year for Blueberries you will not be eligible to apply for Stream 4: Blueberry Removal for the same location. The same goes for the reverse, if you get approval for your project through Stream 4: Berry Removal, that parcel of land won’t be eligible for funding through Stream 3: Berry Replant in future intakes. Replanting is not allowed on the same land where blueberries were removed.
Yes, applicants are eligible to have a project from both year 1 and year 2, so long as they are different locations.
Multiple small sites of the same commodity type that add up to one acre on the same parcel, while directly bordering each other, are eligible. If multiple small sites are nearby each other on the same parcel but do not directly border each other, we will be happy to review the site map to determine eligibility. Small sites on different land parcels can not be counted together towards the one-acre minimum: each parcel must include a minimum of one acre of the same commodity to be eligible.
Your organization must register through the IAF Client Portal to apply to IAF programs. Please note, if you have not already registered, this process can take up to 2 business days and must be completed before the application deadline.
IAF provides payments by EFT (direct deposit). To get your EFT information set up to ensure timely delivery of your payment(s) please follow the directions provided here to update your client portal.
You have up to 12 months, from the time of approval, to complete your Stream 4 project.
No, GST is not eligible for reimbursement.
For the 2026/27 intake the Business Plan has been renamed a Finance & Marketing Plan for the sake of the ERP program to better reflect the intended information captured by the plan. While there’s no template for the plan, we recommend working through the checklist available within the application form to ensure you have all of the required information. Additionally, this is only a required document for those randomly selected for an application audit, however it is part of the scoring criteria so is encouraged to include with your application.
Applicants who have an active PCRP project (for removal or replant) are not eligible to apply for ERP. All PCRP projects must be completed before applying to the ERP program.
Yes–however, each farm operation is permitted to submit only one application per fiscal year (per application intake), regardless of the funding Stream.
Approved projects selected to participate in the field inspection audit will be automatically notified through the online portal when a final report is completed. All field inspections will be scheduled with an Accredited Professional within 3-6 months following project completion. Funding payment will only be issued following the successful completion of this on-site inspection.
Please provide the status of the permit and any supporting documentation at the time of application. All recipients are required to comply with all necessary laws and regulations.
The acreage cap (20 acres or 15% total existing acreage) is per project. The funding cap is per farm operation.
Stream 4 Application Overview
We’ve recorded a walk through of the Stream 4 application to help you each step of the way!
Stream 4 Webinar
Watch the recording for the Stream 4 webinar that took place on November 13, 2025.
Stream 4: Berry Removal/Renewal Replant Guide
Download the Stream 4: Berry Removal/Renewal Guide.
Finance & Marketing Planning Resources
View the Government of BC’s Business Planning Resources.
Finance & Marketing Plan Checklist
View the Government of BC’s Writing a Finance & Marketing Plan checklist.
2024/25 Program Guide
Download the 2024/25 ERP Program Guide.
2024/25 Stream 4 Appendix
Download the 2024/25 Stream 4 Appendix.
Have an Active Project?
Please visit the program’s Project Resource Hub for more information.
Funding provided by:
Please note: the Government of BC may, from time to time, give instructions to IAF in relation to the delivery and administration of this program. IAF must and will comply with those instructions.
