Over the last six years, we have seen historical losses to B.C.’s agriculture sector.
Having served as the agriculture critic, part of my role was to travel across the province to speak with farmers and ranchers about how their sectors are faring. Over 4.6 million hectares of land are in the Agriculture Land Reserve, but B.C. is only 30% self-sufficient regarding food security. We import 2/3 of our food. There are breadbaskets all over the province producing a variety of goods. However, substantial stressors are impeding farmers' abilities to grow food.
With no farmers at the wheel in Victoria, I have been exceedingly frustrated by the NDP government's lack of support for the agriculture sector – which is continually treated as a second-rate industry and often placated with insufficient government support after a disaster strikes. Instead of having a champion fight for them, farmers across the province feel frustrated and abandoned by this government. Here’s why.
I sat with ranchers in Merritt after the historical wildfires burned all the trees in the surrounding valleys, followed by heavy rain, which flooded their banks and dumped three-foot mudslides onto their ranches. Sifting through the stacks of paperwork to get insurance — most farmers were told they didn’t qualify because they had already claimed damages from the wildfires. B.C.’s agriculture insurance structures have not been updated in years — let alone for compounding emergencies we see now with climate change.
This needs to change.
Most recently, I heard about the tree fruit farmers' plight and was on a plane the next morning to the Okanagan to advocate for the 330+ farmers who were left locked out of their Tree Fruits Co-op facility in Oliver after a hostile shutdown. It crashed the industry and left farmers without cold storage, bins, or markets for their fruit. The NDP tried to find them some cold storage, to no avail, and offered up Ag-stability, a federal program that is costly to apply for, and one that many of the farmers didn’t even qualify for. Farmers protested in the streets due to these inadequate solutions. The list goes on and on.
B.C.’s agriculture industry needs better, more reliable support, and part of that is revamping things at the Ministry of Agriculture. The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) has been the same since its inception – it needs an overhaul to maximize farm productivity and usage. B.C.’s agriculture insurance schemes require changes, and like other provinces, we need to offer farmers immediate interest-free loans to get them through disasters without them losing the shirts off their backs.
Locally, I continue to advocate for better solutions so that Delta farm operations can continue to thrive for decades to come. Affordability affects everyone, including Delta’s farmers. That’s why I am in favour of axing the Carbon Tax to lower fuel costs for farm vehicles and equipment. This change will result in lower prices at the grocery store for consumers.
Additionally, since becoming an MLA, I have introduced a private member’s bill to protect Brunswick Point, some of the most arable land in our region and resting place for wildlife habitat, from future development more than three times. Each time it has been introduced, the government has ignored the legislation, letting it die on the order paper and preventing the opportunity for debate or vote.
I’m advocating for changes like these daily and hope to continue this fight in Victoria this fall.
To learn more about Ian Paton, visit leg.bc.ca/members//Paton-Ian.
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