August 2010 - Vol 96 No. 08 

Study downplays cannon noise issue

by DAVID SCHMIDT ABBOTSFORD – Propane cannons may not be as much of a problem as some would make them out to be.
A summer 2009 study commissioned by the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the Fraser Valley Regional District and led by Dr. Tracy Stobbe of Trinity Western University showed over half the respondents surveyed had no issues with the use of propane cannons in Fraser Valley blueberry fields. The study interviewed 135 residents in Abbotsford, Chilliwack and the Hatzic/ Nicomen areas of Mission. The residents were randomly selected around 15 Abbotsford, three Chilliwack, two Hatzic and two Nicomen Island blueberry farms. Sixty percent lived within the Agricultual Land Reserve while the other 40 percent lived on non-ALR land.
About half the respondents opposed a ban on propane cannons while only a third was in favour. The report even suggested the bias in favour of or neutral towards propane cannon use may be even higher. Referencing the significant number of non-responses to the survey, the report states “the direction of non-response bias may indicate that these households do not care about the cannon issue.”
However, it also noted many of those who did respond held very strong opinions, saying “some respondents felt very strongly and expressed considerable anger toward farmers who use propane cannons (and) some respondents felt very strongly and expressed considerable anger toward those who favour a ban.”
While the report claims “an annual societal willingness-to-pay for halting propane cannon noise of $577,607,” it admits the extrapolation is “quite skewed,” pointing almost half the respondents place no value on eliminating propane cannon noise. It therefore concludes “a policy change with regards to propane cannon use will not be uniformly popular or approved.” B.C. Blueberry Council (BCBC) acting executive director Debbie Etsell welcomes the report, saying she hopes it will lead to “a more balanced approach” towards cannons.
“Right now, the response is not balanced,” she said, stressing industry is not trying to use the study to relax existing regulations. “We just don’t want to see a further deterioration of our ability to use cannons.”

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