MARCH 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Regulations, housing key issues in Langley Small farmers flock to roundtable discussion with provincial agrologist


by RONDA PAYNE


LANGLEY – Government and other organizations often have trouble reaching out to small farmers because few fit neatly into defined commodity groups and lack the organization that helps government address their concerns.


This is where the Langley


Small Farm Network is hoping to make a difference for its members, and on February 5 it was able to raise its concerns with BC Ministry of Agriculture agrologist Chris Zabek during a roundtable at Laurica Farm in Langley. “The government deals best, and feedback comes best, from organizations,” Zabek says. “That’s why I think what you’re doing here is great. Anytime there’s an organized voice, it’s good.” One of the first concerns


the group of 16 local farmers and farm advocates raised was the new Code of Practice for Agricultural Environmental Management, released by the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy on January 23. The new code replaced the Agricultural Waste Control Regulation on February 28. “They’ve been working on


it for about nine years now,” Zabek told network members. “You can’t spread [manure or other soil amendments] in November, December or January. It’s also a phased-in approach.” Zabek adds that


application of amendments in the shoulder months would likely require a nutrient management plan, soil testing and possible ministry involvement. According to Heidi Cook of


Campbell Valley Farms Ltd., this restriction may cause issues for organic farmers. “Our requirements are to apply six months before harvesting,” she says. “Sometimes we’re still out there until October.” Zabek says establishing a


nutrient management plan may provide a work-around to such issues, but he also told farmers to contact the ministry to determine the best course of action. The question of fill also


surfaced.


“Essentially, any fill you bring on needs to be approved by the ALC,” says Zabek. “That’s one of the ‘joys’ of being in this urbanized area. Every time a bucket goes in the ground … that fill has to go somewhere and often the cheapest place to get rid of it is ag land.”


Slaughter capacity concerns


The lack of slaughter facilities for small-scale meat producers was another concern.


Zabek says the ministry is


aware of the processing problem and has asked for input on Class D and E licensing versus development of smaller Class A and B facilities. “I think, there’s a feeling among small-scale [meat] producers that we won’t have our livelihoods in two years,” says Cathy Finley of Laurica Farm. “There is a real kind of fear.”


Slaughterhouses may


welcome small producers to fill gaps in their schedules, but as those operations grow, they phase out their custom kill programs. “It gets pushed


underground,” says Ava Reeve, who with her husband Jeff runs Reeve Farms, a mixed livestock operation in Langley. “That’s what’s happening.”


But that wasn’t the intent of the BC Meat Inspection Regulation covering provincial slaughter licences. “That’s what the whole


regulation was supposed to avoid,” responds Zabek. “As soon as people hear the word ‘slaughterhouse,’ they think, ‘Not in my backyard.’” Finley explained that more D and E abattoirs and mobile slaughterhouses would be


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good. The group felt that A and B facilities would do well in nearby industrial areas. The issue of housing came


up as well, as many small farmers need labour but also need to house workers. Currently, not even small portable houses are permitted on farm lots in some municipalities. “It’s a challenging one with the housing prices in the Lower Mainland, certainly,” says Zabek. He says in some cases accommodations have been built in the name of farming, but then over time, the farming stops and those units


are rented out to non-farm workers. “That’s a farming issue, not a housing issue,” says Heather Pritchard, who lives at Fraser Common Farm Cooperative. “If they aren’t farming, it’s a farming issue.” Reeve says restrictions on housing make it tough for new farmers to secure land.


Access to land “The ministry has


acknowledged the challenge of new farmers finding land,” she says. “But this is only going to become a larger issue when there’s no housing on the land.”


Pritchard would like to see farmers allowed to build permanent worker housing or locate portable


accommodations on any part of the homeplate not used for a farmer’s primary residence. “Let’s really support the homeplate concept,” she urges.


Another suggestion was that the province lease its vacant land holdings to farmers. “That’s something I’m going to suggest,” says Zabek. “It’s a great idea. It’s a great way to encourage the future generation of farmers.”


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