prunings Just when you think you understand some of the many technological changes that are developed in this ever changing world, along comes something out of the blue that boggles the imagination. How about an electronic blueberry? Called BIRD, which stands for Blueberry Impact Recording Device, it was developed at the University of Georgia in the U.S. The device is now owned by the U.S. High Bush


Blueberry Council for use by their producers. Thanks to the council, the B.C. blueberry industry was able to contract for use of the device this year. B.C. Blueberry Council executive director Debbie Etsell says packers are enthusiastic about the potential for further quality improvement that this device could trigger. The BIRD is placed among the berries and travels through the packing machines, where it monitors how many times the berries are hitting each other in transit and the force of impact. The data can then be transferred to a computer for analysis. “Through research and development we strive to improve the quality of our berries and this is simply another tool to utilize,” says Etsell. “Certainly any improvement we can make is a benefit to our growers.”


Meanwhile, as this province’s blueberry producers look to ramp up exports to China during the next few years, that huge market’s domestic supply is also going to grow. China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has given the green light for the funding of a proposed blueberry production project in the southwestern province of Guizhou. The approval means Qiandongnan Development and Investment Co., Ltd is now allowed to issue corporate bonds for about US$119 million to develop its Integrated Blueberry Industry Construction Project. According to the Guizhou Development and Reform Commission, the project was first registered in November, 2014 with a total investment of US$256 million. When completed, it will comprise 4,000 hectares of blueberry plantings


and related facilities... Food Care Canada is a national charitable organization with a vision for building public trust in food and farming. “Public demand for transparency is growing and consumers want to know more about how their food is produced and who is producing it,” says Crystal McKay, CEO of the new entity. Its aim is to work with many partners from farmers to


associations and food companies nationwide to provide credible information about


food and farming. McKay says it has created a forum for Canadians to come together with people from the entire food system to have a conversation and find out more about our food and how it is produced. “Today less than two per cent of Canadians live on farms, which means there is a huge disconnect between farm gates and the dinner plate. Over 90 per cent of Canadians surveyed claim they know little about where their food is produced but the majority want to know more.” McKay says third party audit and more stringent rules, together with improved technology, has helped move the pendulum forward to where Canadians


can feel confident about the safety and quality of our food producing systems. “However, both consumers and producers need to remain vigilant to further enhance consumer confidence in our food production and assist in the protection of valuable farm land... And speaking of third party audits, the passing score on the CanadaGAP audit checklist will be 85 per cent effective April 1, 2017, up from the current 80 per cent.The decision to increase it was made by directors of CanAgPlus, the not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates the good agricultural practices (GAP) safety program for companies that produce, handle and broker fruits and vegetables. “To maintain program integrity and credibility, we felt it was time to move in the direction of a higher passing score,” said CanAgPlus chair, Jack Bates, of Delta. “CanadaGAP has always been responsive to market signals. Increasingly, buyers are signaling the need for continuous improvement in audit outcomes,” he said. CanadaGAP executive director Heather Gale noted that the average score on an audit is 92 per cent. “Currently, about five per cent of CanadaGAP audits result in a score between 80 and 85 per cent. This indicates that the vast majority of program participants already exceed the 85 per cent threshold.”


GRANT ULLYOT Berryhill building now built


Construction is finished on the Berryhill Foods processing plant in Chilliwack. Located in the new Kerr Road industrial park, the 35,000 square- foot building contains a 20,000 square-foot freezer capable of storing up to five million pounds of berries. The remaining portion of the building will house the processing plant. Berryhill general manager Tom Philips says equipment for the processing plant will be ordered this fall, with installation expected to start in January. The plant is slated to open in time for the 2017 berry season. The Chilliwack structure is almost identical in looks to Berryhill’s main plant in Abbotsford.


British Columbia Berry Grower • Fall 2016 15


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