British Columbia Agriculture Minister Lana Popham says the government introduced regulatory changes this week that will allow 91裸聊视频渟ome more residential flexibility91裸聊视频� in the Agricultural Land Reserve.

The ALR, she noted, is 91裸聊视频渁lways a hot topic, and you basically need a suit of armor any time you address any changes that are needed.91裸聊视频�

Popham said the new rule, to take effect Dec. 31, will streamline approval for a small secondary residence in the reserve. 91裸聊视频淭his can be used to house farm labour, it can be an agri-tourism accommodation, you can rent it out for supplemental income. Under the previous government only family members were allowed to have this space on the ALR parcel, most commonly in a mobile home. We91裸聊视频檝e opened that up to folks outside the family and we91裸聊视频檝e expanded the type of dwelling from mobile homes.91裸聊视频�

Popham said permission will still be required from local governments or First Nations governments 91裸聊视频渂ut there will be no applications to the Agricultural Land Commission.91裸聊视频� She said it could be a secondary residence 91裸聊视频渢hat looks like a garden suite,91裸聊视频� a guest house or a manufactured home.

91裸聊视频淗aving an option opens up new doors to families,91裸聊视频� Popham said. 91裸聊视频淚 also think one of the things we heard most from new farmers is that they didn91裸聊视频檛 have anywhere to live 91裸聊视频� they could lease some land, but they91裸聊视频檇 have to travel and commute to that land in order to farm it as a business.91裸聊视频�

Popham was the guest speaker Friday during a Zoom meeting hosted by the Surrey Board of Trade concerning the state of the agriculture industry in B.C., and in Surrey in particular. Anita Huberman, CEO of the board, noted that Surrey91裸聊视频檚 land base is one-third agricultural.

Popham noted that the past 16 months have been 91裸聊视频渋ncredibly difficult for everyone91裸聊视频� on account of the pandemic and recent heat wave. 91裸聊视频淭here is no ignoring the issue of how climate is affecting our agriculture sector,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淥f course we have fires right now that are threatening some agricultural businesses. It91裸聊视频檚 quite sad.91裸聊视频�

She said B.C. brings in about 12,000 temporary foreign workers, mostly from Mexico, to work local farms, greenhouses and other agricultural businesses. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檇 like to see more domestic labour and we would like to be able to see agri-tech support different types of labour, labour that starts with technology.91裸聊视频�

Popham said 150 agri-tech companies are already operating in B.C. One features a robot strawberry harvester here in Surrey, she noted, 91裸聊视频渨hich finds ripe strawberries, picks them, doesn91裸聊视频檛 damage the fruit, doesn91裸聊视频檛 damage the plant and is easier on everybody91裸聊视频檚 backs. So this type of technology really helps us address some of the labour shortages that we91裸聊视频檙e seeing in agriculture.91裸聊视频�

Drones being used in vineyards can detect disease faster than the human eye can,91裸聊视频� she added. 91裸聊视频淲e see dairies that are using agri-tech to take the temperature of their cows to address any health issues before they become serious.91裸聊视频�

She said Surrey has one of the first of B.C.91裸聊视频檚 12 91裸聊视频渇ood hubs,91裸聊视频� Plenty & Grace Food Hub & Innovation Centre in South Surrey, that put shared-use processing facilities into communities where food entrepreneurs can access 91裸聊视频渃utting-edge91裸聊视频� equipment around the clock, eliminating barriers to small businesses that are starting up.

91裸聊视频淭he products that are coming out of these food hubs are incredible,91裸聊视频� Popham said.

Meantime, in February Popham sent a stern letter to the City of Surrey for dissolving the city91裸聊视频檚 agriculture and food policy advisory committee. 91裸聊视频淚 am disappointed that the city leadership did not seek dialogue nor public input prior to the planned committee re-assignment,91裸聊视频� she wrote in a letter to Surrey council on Feb. 23.

91裸聊视频淧lease be reminded that municipalities with the intention to restrict or prohibit agriculture within a farming area may need to become 91裸聊视频榬egulated91裸聊视频� under Section 553 of the Local Government Act,91裸聊视频� she warned.

Asked about this Friday, Popham said she thinks it was 91裸聊视频渕aybe a little but surprising91裸聊视频� that she weighed in on the issue, 91裸聊视频渂ut the importance of agriculture to our province is enormous, it91裸聊视频檚 a huge economic generator.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淪urrey does have a third of its property in the ALR so you can91裸聊视频檛, in my view, you can91裸聊视频檛 really operate Surrey without acknowledging agriculture and so the reason why I weighed in is because I don91裸聊视频檛 know of any community, really, that hasn91裸聊视频檛 realized that food security is one of the biggest issues that we91裸聊视频檙e going to face around the globe and so it just seemed like a really bad decision.91裸聊视频�

Popham said decisions concerning the ALR, business proposals and 91裸聊视频渇iguring out the best way to be the wind at the back of entrepreneurs, it all has to go hand-in-hand, agriculture can91裸聊视频檛 stand alone. I think that91裸聊视频檚 really what the message was when the committee got disbanded 91裸聊视频� is that agriculture is on its own, and agriculture runs through the veins of every community.91裸聊视频�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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