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Growers discuss SVC audits
by TOM WALKER KELOWNA – While Jeet
Dukhia withdrew his controversial resolution asking for all disputed matters between growers and the Summerland Varieties Corp. (SVC) be withdrawn, grower royalties continued to be an issue at the BC Fruit Growers Association’s annual meeting in February. In his report to growers, SVC general manager Sean Beirnes explained the procedure for contacting growers undergoing an audit to confirm that royalties were paid on new plantings. “The majority of all issues
are solved through discussion,” says Beirnes. “We notify someone that they haven’t paid and they pay up. This is a contract that we have with the government. If we don’t do the job, they will hire someone else to do it.” Dukhia called for a committee to solve issues. “We all need to pay
royalties but we should have proper guidelines and procedures in place,” Dukhia said.
Beirnes responded that SVC has been administering the plant breeders rights program for 25 years. “It’s been in place for a
quarter of a century. A lot of you have kids that have grown up during that time. People should know by now.
EMER ERG
We shouldn’t be saying that we don’t understand.” SVC board member Amarjit Lalli pointed a finger at previous SVC boards. “There was some deficiencies in the way they acted on compliance issues,” says Lalli. “They were brushed under the table.” “Let SVC do the job they
are supposed to do,” says Lalli. “Nobody is being picked on here; everyone will get audited. Make your life easier. If you do the court route, you lose the benefit of the doubt.” Yet, delegates passed a number of resolutions that appear to seek a watering down of the independence of SVC. Approved resolutions called for the board to be directly elected by BCFGA members rather than appointed by the BCFGA board; that SVC minutes be made available to all BCFGA members and guidelines be developed to resolve disputed matters and applied equally to all growers. Resolutions are
recommendations to the BCFGA board of governors as to the priorities growers have for the coming year. It remains for the newly elected board as to what direction, if any, they wish to take with the resolutions. SVC is a research and
marketing development company owned by BCFGA members.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MARCH 2018
This little tyke probably wasn’t seeking financial advice from BMO’s Krystine Mirza while he and his dad toured the Pacific Agriculture Show in January, but he expressed a keen interest in taking home the John Deere tractor BMO was raffling off. CATHY GLOVER PHOTO
FRUIT meeting highlights free.”
UAV can cover 40 acres in a six to eight-minute flight and it’s a really good tool for moth release.” The program is also
exploring the sale of moths to Washington State growers, who have been contacting SIR to access this important IPM technology. Crop protection chair Peter Simonsen was happy to report there was no apple maggot detection in 2017. Despite detections in 2015 and 2016, the Okanagan is still considered “apple maggot
RGENCYMANA MENTWORKT WORKSHOPS Sponsored by The Horse Council of British Columbia & Imperial Oil.
TWORKSHOP CYMANAGEMENTWORKS OPS PS
OPEN TO ALL RURAL LAND OWNERS Community planning: how you can help your neighbour in a natural disaster Creating maps of your ranch/farm with a takeaway gate post map of your operation How to conduct yourself and the processes (such as permits) involved in a state of emergency Tips on fuel load reduction Access to the BC Ministry of Agricultures,s Emergency Management Guides for various commodities and small farms
Tuesday, February 27 Fort St. John 4pm - Northern Grande Hotel 100 Avenue, Fort St. John (dinner, coffee) Thursday, March 1 Vanderhoof 9am - Elks Hall 474 Victoria Street E, Vanderhoof (lunch, coffee) Saturday, March 3 Smithers 9am - Prestige Hudson Bay Lodge East Highway 16, Smithers (lunch, coffee) Wednesday, March 7 Quesnel 9am - Royal Canadian Legion Branch 94 Kinchant Street, Quesnel (lunch, coffee) Thursday, March 8 100 Mile House 9am - Red Coach Inn 170 BC-97, 100 Mile House (lunch, coffee) Wednesday, March 14 Kamloops 9am - Coast Kamloops Hotel & Conference Centre 1250 Rogers Way, Kamloops (lunch, coffee) Wednesday, April 4 Williams Lake 9am - Pioneer Complex 351 Hodgson Rd, Williams Lake (lunch, coffee) Wednesday, April 11 Cranbrook 9am - Heritage Inn Hotel 803 Cranbrook St N, Cranbrook (lunch, coffee) Thursday, April 12
Grand Forks 9am - Omega Restaurant 7400 BC-3, Grand Forks (lunch, coffee)
Monday, April 16 OK Falls 9am - Okanagan Falls Legion 5009 Veterans Way, Okanagan Falls (lunch, coffee) Tuesday, April 17
Vernon 9am - Prestige Hotel 4411 32 St, Vernon (lunch, coffee) Wednesday, April 25 Comox 9am - TBD (lunch, coffee)
These events are FREE, open to everyone, includes a meal and should be no longer than 3/4 of a day. Visit
www.cattlemen.bc.ca to register online or call 250.573.3611
Sponsored by But his comments on the
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug were not so positive. “There are some very high concentrations in downtown Kelowna,” Simonsen points out. There appears to be no way to stop the pest’s spread into nearby orchards. The Samurai wasp is being actively studied as a way to combat the BMSB.
Resolutions passed at the
AGM covered SAWP, research and development of new varieties, invasive pests,
nfrom page 11
including starling and deer control, and a strengthening of the Farm Practices Protection Act.
The much anticipated
election of a successor to Steele was one of the last items on the agenda. Vice president Pinder Dhaliwal, a cherry and apple grower from Oliver, won the election over long time Steele rival Jeet Dukhia. Peter Simonsen, whose family have an organic mixed fruit orchard in Naramata, was acclaimed as vice president.
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