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NOVEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Fruit growers offered incentive for food safety training


by TOM WALKER


KELOWNA – Members of the BC Fruit Growers’ Association (BCFGA) will get an incentive to help cover the costs of participating in food safety programs thanks to a recent dividend from the Summerland Varieties Corporation (SVC).


As growers themselves, the BCFGA executive has direct experience with food safety programs.


“We know the cost, effort and occasional frustration of implementing food safety programs on the farm,” says BCFGA president Fred Steele. “At the same time, we recognize the benefit of food safety in giving confidence and promoting our apples, cherries and soft fruit.” BCFGA members will


receive a one time payment of $425 to help cover the costs of enrolling in a food safety program such as CanadaGAP (Good Agriculture Practices). “We feel that giving the grower a one-time break by providing an incentive will strengthen our industry’s commitment to food safety,” says Steele.


Costs for a program like GAP can range for $425 (the minimum yearly fee for members of BC Tree Fruit Co-operative under a group plan) to several thousand dollars per year paid to other accrediting bodies. Programs also require significant amounts of time and often lead to changes affecting farm practices and record keeping. While a grower will have toilet facilities, a new certification may require a higher number


per worker, for instance. There may be new training requirements for staff which would be paid for by growers. SVC was formed 20 years ago to help owners organize and regulate new fruit varieties. “SVC is having success handling some of the new varieties of cherries and Ambrosia apples,” says BCFGA general manager Glen Lucas. “They get a share of the royalty proceeds.”


Although realizing a profit is not the principal objective of the company, there has been a profit.


“This is their first dividend ever and it is appreciated by growers,” adds Lucas. “I think it is a real


opportunity to say food safety is here and we need to recognize the effort and encourage growers to continue supporting the program,” says Lucas.


Lucas was a member of the committee that worked on GAP standards five years ago and he’s concerned about additional requirements for growers.


“If you introduce standards one at a time, you can get what I call ‘standards creep’ that can actually increase the volume of standards,” he says. “It’s key to focus on the most important aspects of food safety versus perhaps identifying a new situation which is of very low risk and yet regulating that.” BCFGA will ask the


Canadian Horticulture Council annual convention to advocate for a single, sensible food safety program to avoid multiple competing retail programs.


Tractor safety training for all farmers in BC, at no cost!


“An example of retailer standards that we have an issue on is that Costco has said that pickers cannot bring water bottles into the orchard,” says Lucas. “We think that’s unreasonable. Apparently, they can use the Costco water bottle but not their own.”


Lucas says it’s a human safety concern.


“It’s very hot when pickers are working in the summer. Heat stroke is a life threatening condition,” he points out. “We have to get our retailers to back off in implementing these ad hoc rules.” BCFGA is pushing for national standards.


“We support CanadaGAP” Lucas says. “We avoid multiple retailer programs by going with GAP but Costco is going its own way.”


“They also ask that we test the water. Well, it’s municipal water. It probably gets tested more than Costco requires,” Lucas says. “It’s an unfair practice.”


“We will be pushing for a fair trade code of practice (such) as they have in Australia and the UK,” says Lucas. “In dealing with retailers, this is the thin edge of the wedge for growers.”


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As a hands-on grower, BC Fruit Growers’ Association president Fred Steele knows how important it is to have safety protocols in place. (Tom Walker photo)


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