ROCK CREEK – West Kootenay farmers had a field day in the hills above Rock Creek on September 10. “We had an opportunity to view both informal and formal field trials that the farmers are developing,” says Rachael Roussin, coordinator of the Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors, which organized the event. “But these field days …
NEWS
Parties unite on trespass legislation
VICTORIA – Unanimous support for tough laws to protect agrifood operations against trespassers was a highlight of agriculture day in Victoria this year. Opposition proposals were embraced by the government, resulting in a rare show of unity among the parties on an issue that has hit farmers hard over the past several years. “We understand …
Court sides with berry grower
Richmond has lost its case against a local berry grower whose signage pointing the way to his fruit stand was ticketed by a bylaw enforcement officer this summer. Bill Zylmans of W&A Farms was fined $1,000 this past June over signage on Westminster Highway at the foot of Knight Street promoting his fresh strawberries. The …
UNDRIP becomes law in BC
BC has formally entrenched the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People within provincial statutes. The legislature passed Bill 41, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which commits the province, “in consultation and cooperation with the Indigenous peoples in British Columbia … [to] take all measures necessary to ensure the …
Tomato virus targeted
US guardians of plant health have placed restrictions on imports of greenhouse vegetables in an effort to combat tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). The virus is a growing scourge of greenhouse vegetable producers, and a recognized threat in BC. The restrictions, announced November 22, apply to shipments from Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands and Israel. …
Satellite surveillance on hold
A controversial plan to use satellites to monitor activities in the Agricultural Land Reserve has been put on hold pending consultation with landowners. A notice of intent to contract with Richmond-based MDA Systems Ltd., which the BC Ministry of Agriculture posted to BC Bid, the government’s procurement site, on November 13, disappeared November 18. The …