The purse strings finally loosen


Over the past decade and much to the chagrin of B.C. farmers, there has been a feeling among many that agriculture was flying under the provincial radar when it came to critical funding by the B.C. Liberals. Except for the occasional media event and accompanying glad handing, farmers have felt all but abandoned. Budgetary cutbacks have left the agriculture industry in this province the least-funded of any other province in Canada, creating a woefully unlevel playing field that only added to the challenges facing B.C.’s farming sector.
By nature, however, farmers are a persistent lot, and ever optimistic. Through whatever means possible, and most notably with lobbying by the B.C. Agriculture Council, and in particular by four-year chair Garnet Etsell, farmers kept hammering away at the government to make them listen to their collective plight.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the efforts seem to be paying off.
The biggest success was $7.6 million in carbon tax relief announced in April for B.C.’s greenhouse vegetable and floriculture growers. While it’s billed as a temporary funding fix, it is finally recognized that the carbon tax puts B.C. farmers at a competitive disadvantage.
Newly installed BCAC chair Rhonda Driediger was both pleased and tempered to finally see some action on the carbon tax. However, she stresses that BCAC will not rest until the tax is eliminated for all of agriculture.
“We have a philosophy to not tax food production,” she says. “This is the start of discussion for the rest of agriculture.”
B.C. Greenhouse Growers Association vice-chair Ravi Cheema welcomed the relief but will only relax when it becomes permanent.
Another recent coup was the $75,000 grant secured for the B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets to help implement their strategic plan. This funding will help ensure a network of 125 markets throughout the province continues to connect British Columbians with farmers and food producers. The number of farmers markets in B.C. has more than doubled since 2000. This rapid growth has played a leading role in promoting awareness and support for eating local foods.
As well, the B.C. School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program was on the receiving end of a $1 million vote of confidence from the provincial government. The program delivers 6.3 million servings of fruit and vegetables from 817 growers from right across the province. It is expected that an additional 75 schools will join the program by September 2012, and a further 75 schools will join by January 2013, benefitting up to 27,000 more children each year. This would bring the total participating schools to 1,484.
These are real positives that demonstrate that finally someone has listened, and taken action. And therein lies the key – listening. Case in point was the controversial items contained in the Ministry of Environment’s proposed new Agricultural Waste Control Regulation. There was an immediate backlash from the agricultural sector which considered many of the proposals too draconian. To its credit, the government pulled back and extended the public consultation period by an extra month. Exactly what a responsible government should do – listen to its constituents.
British Columbians want to support local agriculture. A prudent and responsive government should take heed.

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