No surprises in Throne speech

The second throne speech since the BC NDP held few surprises for agriculture.

Opening a new sitting of the legislature on April 12, Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin laid forth an agenda that reaffirmed the province’s support for the Buy BC program and greater investment in the agritech sector.

But the reminder that the government had created a new agritech concierge – a move initiated last year with the appointment of former assistant deputy minister Wes Shoemaker to oversee its formation – veiled some of the more significant initiatives agriculture minister Lana Popham has announced.

Austin was silent, for example, on the overhaul of the province’s meat licensing regime, which will be enabled by regulatory changes to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

She was also mum on regulatory changes that promise to allow secondary residences on properties in the Agricultural Land Reserve, an initiative Popham announced April 9. The new regulations will waive the need for property owners to seek permission from the Agricultural Land Commission for an additional residence, and the residence will not be tied to farming activities. The new rules follow a public consultation last year and will “provide more flexibility to help farming families thrive and to benefit non-farmers living in the ALR.”

This is a change of course from the initial regulations implemented in February 2019 under Bill 52, which caught many landowners by surprise. Many were in the process of securing manufactured homes for their properties when a new regulation took effect and effectively outlawed them. A grandfathering period was introduced that summer allowing manufactured homes to be placed on the properties, that has now been extended three times.

A final extension will run until December 31, 2021, providing local governments with enough time to adjust their own rules to accommodate the new regulations. This may include implementing their own restrictions on the kinds of housing allowed on properties within the ALR.

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1 day ago

It was another sell-out at the 31st annual Fort Langley Cranberry Festival on Saturday with organizers selling 5,000 pounds of locally-grown, fresh berries in less than five hours. Youth from the Fort Langley Lions Club's Young Lions program scooped, bagged and weighed several pallets' worth of cranberries. Ocean Spray donated the berries, which the public bought to benefit the community. Local grower The Bog was also selling fresh berries, having brought 2,700 pounds, which were on track to sell out by the end of the#BCAgt.

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6 days ago

There was a lot of reminiscing and appreciation of how far BC's turkey industry has come at a reception celebrating the 75th anniversary of the BC Turkey Association and the 60th anniversary of the BC Turkey Marketing Board yesterday in Abbotsford. With a slideshow of events and people over the years, guests laughed and had a lot to be thankful for. "It's an opportunity to celebrate the industry at a time of year that's known for turkey. It's a culmination of all the year's work," says Natalie Veles, executive director with BC Turkey Marketing Board.

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Love it - Deb Etsell I see you 🤩

7 days ago

BC was the sole province to see farmland values decline in the first half of this year, dropping 1.9% according to a Farm Credit Canada report released Octover 7. This represented an acceleration in value declines from last year, and contributed to a 3.9% decline in the 12 montsh ended June 30. The drop follows on a 1.7% decline last year, which Farm Credit Canada attributed to tougher times in the fruit sector. However, the mid-year report points to a broader slowdown in value growth diven by higher production costs, tighter margins and uncertainty around trade, tariffs and international markets.

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Ndp

3 weeks ago

Channels of communication remain open between the provincial and federal governments with respect to financial relief for extraordinary costs stemming from this summer's ongoing drought and wildfires, but the BC Cattlemen's Association is urging producers to register for AgriStability to position themselves for any AgriRecovery package. "Hardworking families in the ranching and agriculture sectors, who provide food for the province, need the AgriRecovery program in place as soon as possible," says BC Cattlemen's president Alex Kuchar. But the provincial election creates an unfortunate delay. "It's not fair, in any form of the word, to see all those people who have lost so much in the fires to have to wait in limbo," says BC Cattlemen's general manager Kevin Boon.

Photo | Barb Edmonson / Firefly Ranch, Clinton

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Feedback on changes to rules governing food processing in the Agricultural Land Reserve has drawn about 250 submissions. But the proposal now hangs in the balance with Premier David Eby's decision to call a snap election, which also delays discussions of assistance for farmers hit hard by this year's wildfires and historic #BCAght.

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What would you expect from the NDP, when they still had a 2 year mandate?

Ridiculous timing. We have people needing answers and have to plan for winter supplies. Fires are long past, months have gone by knowing there was going to be the need for support. Drought was written on the wall even before summer began with no snow pack. This is not new to government and they are calling for another year just as bad for 2027. I throw my hands up and wonder what else needs to be more challenging than what we've experienced over the last 6 years in BC?

250 submissions.... I'm pretty sure there are more than 250 farmers in BC