A long-awaited raspberry replant program kicked off BC agriculture minister Lana Popham’s second term in cabinet this week. Popham announced $90,000 in funding for the program December 1 as part of a suite if announcements positioned as helping farmers recover from the effects of COVID-19. The program will also see $72,000 contributed by industry for …
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No new concessions
Ottawa has promised to protect supply management in future trade deals, citing a deal reached November 21 to ensure continuity in trading arrangements with the UK when it leaves the EU at the end of December. “Our government will not provide market access to our supply managed sectors in any future trade agreements,” federal agriculture …
China ups ante for exporters
A year after the first case of COVID-19 emerged in China, the country’s customs officials announced tough new inspection rules designed to prevent the virus from returning via food shipments. On November 18, 2020, the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) requested that Canada and other trading partners revise export certificates for frozen and chilled …
Abattoirs eye pandemic funding
VICTORIA – A sudden influx of funding from the $90 million provincial Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program resulted in the submission of several abattoir applications to the rural economic recovery stream in October. CERIP is providing fully funded provincial grants to support economic resilience, tourism, heritage and urban and rural economic development projects in communities …
Kamloops farmers push back on irrigation plan
KAMLOOPS – A group of irrigation water users in Kamloops received a reprieve on a city plan to undertake a $14 million system upgrade that would leave users on the hook for the bulk of that cost. Representatives of the Noble Creek Irrigation System petitioned Kamloops city council November 3 to cancel the local area …
Province rethinks land matching pitch
VICTORIA – To increase landowner participation in the BC Land Matching Program administered by Young Agrarians, the BC Ministry of Agriculture is drawing on behavioural insights to nudge landowners into leasing their unused farmland to new farmers. Behavioural scientist Christine Kormos presented details and results of the project at the BIG Difference BC online conference …