AGRICULTURE Agriculture plays a larger and more significant role in the provincial economy than most understand or are aware of, it is a growth industry that can help the province achieve its economic and employment goals, provided the industry has a level playing field in comparison to competing jurisdictions.
The industry currently provides direct employment to over 30,000 people and continues to grow in farm cash receipts, now over $2.3 billion. The total value of the industry from producer to consumer is $19 billion and provides employment to 267,000 British Columbians. It is a diverse industry producing over 250 different commodities. While there is great strength in this diversity, each single commodity has unique needs and interests, creating challenges in addressing provincial agriculture policy.
Agriculture in BC is a mainstay of our provincial, regional and local economies. Like any resource-based economic activity, agriculture depends on a sustained, productive and financially accessible land base -- our Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). When the ALR was established over 30 years ago, food security was a primary focus. Over the years the ALR has also been the foundation for widespread agricultural development producing a diversity of products for local consumption and for export. Growth of other sectors of the economy and in particular in our urban regions has made it increasingly important to ensure that planning for agricultural development is fully integrated with planning for community development. Simply having a regulatory regime to ensure the continuity of the contribution of our agricultural lands to our future overall prosperity and well-being is not enough. The importance of this land base needs to be heralded and respected throughout our society and reflected in decisions by governments, enterprises and individuals. The Chamber has an important -- and more to the point -- an essential role to help ensure that communities and their residents throughout BC will continue to enjoy and prosper from our agricultural land legacies for generations to come.
We believe that if government encourages investment through fostering a positive business climate, the industry can achieve tremendous growth, creating jobs and economic activity throughout the province.
The key elements of agriculture policy must include:
• commitment to the real reduction of regulation in areas of environment, forest practices and workers’ compensation and greater flexibility in employment standards. Regulatory approaches must be results - or outcome - based as opposed to the current regime of prescriptive regulation. This is particularly evident in environmental regulation. Duplication and overlap between federal and provincial regulation must also be rationalized.
• a strategy to encourage more BC food processing and value added by dealing with financial, regulatory and taxation issues to capitalize on the tremendous growth opportunities. An increase in food processing capacity will drive increased primary production.
• continued efforts to address growing conflicts at the rural/urban interface and maintenance of provincial support for the Agriculture Protection Act and the right to farm under generally accepted farming practices.
• continued support for federal provincial agreements that provide for revenue-neutral, producer-driven, effective farm safety-net programs, including crop insurance, stabilization and disaster assistance programming.
• support for the maintenance of producer orderly marketing systems and the rights of producers to choose their approach to marketing in a collective manner. Maintaining these marketing systems is now more important than ever before, given today’s global marketplace and increasing concentration in the food processing and retail sector.
• continued support for incentive-based approaches for environmental stewardship and enhancement. Increased support and partnership from federal agencies including Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment Canada is required. Funding support provided through such important initiatives as the federal-provincial Agriculture Policy Framework and the Agri-Food Futures Fund is an important component of this strategy.
• security of access to resources, particularly water, and resolution of land claim processes to provide security and remove uncertainty of access to lands for BC ranchers and farmers.
• continued support of the purchase of BC grown products as first choice and continued support of the efforts of the industry-managed delivery of the BUY BC Program.
• recognition of the importance and value of education and awareness programs that focus on the important contribution of the industry, through such initiatives as AgAware BC and the Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation.
• continued support for the establishment of local and regional Agriculture Advisory Committees to provide valuable input and advice to local government decisions and land-use planning.
The Chamber believes that addressing these issues with a renewed commitment can attract industry and real growth. The challenge for industry, both primary producers and processors, and for government, is to work collectively and move forward in a positive, proactive manner
