The B.C. Minister of Agriculture has been handed an interim report to revitalize the Agricultural Land Reserve and the Agricultural Land Commission.
The independent Minister’s Advisory Committee identified 13 recommendations for legislative and regulatory change, and four recommendations for action to protect the ALR.
Lana Popham says the aim of the process is to protect the land base, but she admits, at the same time farming has to be viable.
She says anytime there has been a construction boom there have been consequences for farmland…..
Popham says farmers are being compensated for taking the fill which can be more lucrative than growing fruit or vegetables and that has to change.
She says to encourage more production of primary products she’s focusing on the processing side where the demand needs to come from.
Popham expects to introduce legislation and regulations in the fall to better protect farmland and encourage farming.
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