Quotas for New Maple Enterprises

In May 2023, Québec Maple Syrup Producers announced the issuance of 7 million new taps, which must be installed by April 1, 2026.

The Start-Up element of this issuance allocates quotas to people or companies upon the condition that, within 2 marketing years of successful application, they will:

1° Operate a sugar bush of up to 25,000 taps for which no quota had previously been issued, or

2° Purchase or lease, within one year, an existing sugar bush with quota and add to it up to 10,000 taps.


Eligibility

Eligibility for a Start-Up quota is determined by the conditions set forth in the Règlement sur le contingentement des producteurs et productrices acéricoles. As of September 15th of the year of application, the applicant must:

1° Not be a QMSP employee

2° Not have directly or indirectly operated a sugar bush with a QMSP quota for at least 3 years, nor be the lessor of such a sugar bush, nor the mandatary, nominee, spouse, shareholder, or partner of one who operates such a sugar bush, and not be governed by the Joint Plan

3° Hold the following rights on a sugar bush:

  • a) On private land, either a deed or a signed promise to purchase, or a lease of at least 15 years logged in the land register or a promise to lease to the same effect
  • b) On public land, an operating permit or an attestation from the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêtsor proper authority or its mandatary to the effect that the sugar bush in the application is reserved for the Start-Up operation.

A legal person or partnership may also be eligible for a Start-Up quota if, as of September 15th of the year of application:

1° It meets the conditions set out in Paragraph 3 of Article 54

2° All shareholders or partners meet the conditions set out in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 54

An eligible applicant may qualify for a Start-Up quota by sending QMSP—no later than September 15—a document similar to the form reproduced in Appendix 8, duly completed and asserting compliance with the conditions set forth in Article 54, as well as stating the number of taps requested. It must also indicate the chosen method of allocation, either in tranches of 200 taps or by lottery for the entirety of taps requested. The documents stipulated in Paragraphs 1 – 5 of Article 41 must be attached to the form.

 

Start-Up Application Form (in french only)

Evaluation of the Start-Up Plan (in french only)

Evaluation Grid of the Start-Up Plan (in french only)

Landlord Identification Form (in french only)

Frequently Asked Questions about the Issuance of 7 Million New Taps (in french only)

Appendix 2: Forest Engineer’s Form – Maple Syrup Production Plan (in french only)

 

Online Form


Evaluation of Applications

QMSP evaluates eligible applications according to the grid attached to Appendix 9. Only one application may be selected per sugar bush. If there are sufficient taps, QMSP allocates Start-Up quotas to all applicants who score at least 75 points on the grid.

If the number of available taps is not sufficient to fill all applications, taps will be shared among applicants who chose distribution by tranche and those who chose distribution by random draw, according to the percentage of eligible applications received for each method, out of all eligible Start-Up applications.


Allocation of Quotas

QMSP allocates Start-Up quotas to those who have submitted compliant applications with their choice of either tranche or draw distribution. Tranches of 200 taps are allocated up to the total number requested or until all available taps are exhausted. If there remain unallocated taps once this distribution method is completed, they go into the draw which follows. The final application selected in the draw will be granted in full, even if this results in an increase of taps issued for the Start-Up program in accordance with Article 34 of the Règlement.


Terms and Conditions

Start-Up quota applicants not selected in the draw allocation option may submit the same application in each consecutive draw, as long as it is compliant and scores at least 75 points. QMSP will inform applicants of its decisions by January 31. In such cases, one may not submit a new application, nor be a member or shareholder in such an application until between a period of 5 years and the next issuance of such quotas, whichever is later.

Next section
Quotas for Expansion of an Existing Maple Enterprise