BC beekeepers may not be able to import enough bees to replenish hives lost through the winter thanks to flight restrictions intended to halt the spread of COVID-19. “We were able to get some pallets of bees in from New Zealand at the beginning of March,” says Stan Reist of Flying Dutchman Apiary in Nanaimo …
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Dairy producers surveyed on regulation impact
SALMON ARM – The BC Dairy Association is compiling data to better understand the financial impact on farms of the new Agricultural Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEM Code). “We’re working to understand an accurate assessment of the AEM code-related costs on farms,” says BCDA general manager Jeremy Dunn. “We’re trying to get a high …
Abattoirs required to cut back overtime
KAMLOOPS – Provincially licensed abattoir operators have been put on notice that regular shifts for provincial meat inspectors must not exceed seven hours a day unless authorized by the province. “I am asking that all slaughter establishment operators adhere strictly to the scheduled inspection services, which do not exceed seven hours per day,” Gavin Last, …
Meat inspection budget tightens
Abattoir operators have been put on notice that regular shifts for provincial meat inspectors must not exceed seven hours a day unless authorized by the province. “I am asking that all slaughter establishment operators adhere strictly to the scheduled inspection services, which do not exceed seven hours per day,” Gavin Last, executive director of the …
Tax deferral for livestock
Ranchers and livestock producers in 52 census subdivisions across BC will be able to take advantage of the federal government’s livestock tax deferral program for 2019. Regions eligible in BC include southern Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii and much of the central Interior from the coast to the Alberta border. “[The] provision allows livestock producers in prescribed …
BCMMB new entrants shortlist
Despite headlines touting the rise of plant-based diets, an intrepid 77 candidates applied to be new entrants to BC’s dairy industry this winter under the BC Milk Marketing Board’s New Entrant Program. The program provides successful applicants with 15 kgs of Continuous Daily Quota in order to start milk production (enough for about a dozen …