SALMON ARM – A food hub in Salmon Arm will provide much-needed processing opportunities to producers in the Shuswap-Okanagan. In mid-September, the BC Ministry of Agriculture announced $500,000 toward the creation of a food hub in the community. “The province’s processing sector is seeing success all over BC and we are supporting farmers and food …
NEWS
BC leads food price increases
BC food prices are set to rise in 2021 even as prices drop in the other three western provinces. “We are expecting British Columbia to experience higher than average price increases,” states the annual food price report released this week by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. The report forecasts food prices nationally will …
COVID-19 hits Fraser Valley farms
While foreign workers were the focus of concerns during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the second wave has brought the risks of the disease home to local farms. The past week saw Fraser Health Authority declare outbreaks at two farms in the Fraser Valley. On December 2, an outbreak was declared at Millennium …
Phylloxera found on Vancouver Island
Grape phylloxera has been detected in Vancouver Island vineyards. Phyollxera, also known as root louse, was detected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency thanks to a grower submission. CFIA announced the discovery at the end of September. While there have been occasional detections in the Okanagan, Vancouver Island was previously free from the aphid-like insect. …
Raspberries get replant funding
A long-awaited raspberry replant program kicked off BC agriculture minister Lana Popham’s second term in cabinet this week. Popham announced $90,000 in funding for the program December 1 as part of a suite if announcements positioned as helping farmers recover from the effects of COVID-19. The program will also see $72,000 contributed by industry for …
No new concessions
Ottawa has promised to protect supply management in future trade deals, citing a deal reached November 21 to ensure continuity in trading arrangements with the UK when it leaves the EU at the end of December. “Our government will not provide market access to our supply managed sectors in any future trade agreements,” federal agriculture …