The entire ranching industry and the Cariboo Chilcotin region is being overlooked by the newly launched Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and Agricultural Land Commission review panel, said MLA Donna Barnett Wednesday.
“This is a huge province,” Barnett told the Tribune. “If you look at the panel, most of the people on it are from the Lower Mainland. Where are the people that actually work on the ground? Where are the cattlemen? This is very troubling considering the challenges we face following last year’s wildfires.”
After the make-up of the panel was released by the Ministry of Agriculture in a press release last week, Barnett began receiving phone calls from ranchers in the Cariboo who say they feel left out.
“If you look at the ALR acreage you would be surprised at how much land is in the ALR that the cattlemen and hay producers use in rural B.C.,” she added. “When the ALR was instigated in 1973, there was no input by the cattlemen at that time, and basically they get left out every time there’s a review.”
Barnett said she believes land should be in the ALR and B.C. needs food security more than ever.
Delta South MLA and Agriculture Critic Ian Paton is calling on Agriculture Minister Lana Popham to reveal the selection process for members of her new Advisory Committee reviewing the Agricultural Land Reserve and Agricultural Land Commission.
“It’s surprising to me that the Cariboo-Chilcotin’s hard-working ranching community, or the Okanagan’s talented tree fruit and berry growers, or the Similkameen Valley’s dedicated hay farmers or grape growers wouldn’t be included on the committee. What’s more, the Kootenays have zero representation, as do important groups like the BC Cattlemen’s Association and the BC Agriculture Council,” Paton said.
Read More: B.C. agriculture minister names committee to ‘revitalize’ ALR
Popham’s office told the Tribune the minister was not available for comment until Jan. 22, however, in the press release issued last, the ministry noted the panel will be an independent committee with members from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
“The Cariboo-Chilcotin is an important region in terms of British Columbia’s agricultural sector and the committee looks forward to hearing from ranchers and farmers in the area,” a ministry spokesperson noted in a press release.
“Cariboo-Chilcotin agriculture stakeholders will be able to provide input through their local cattlemen or farmer associations, via the public engagement website, or by mail or e-mail at their own time and convenience.”
Members of the committee were selected to ensure they had diverse backgrounds and experiences in farming and agriculture, and include membership from the North and Okanagan, the spokesperson added.
Beginning in early 2018, the committee will begin seeking feedback on revitalizing the ALR and ALC; host regional meetings in Abbotsford, Cranbrook, Fort St. John, Kelowna, Kamloops, Nanaimo and Prince George. There will also be an online consultation process.
Members of the committee are chair Jennifer Dyson, Vicki Huntington, Chief Byron Louis, Lenore Newman, Chris Kloot, Shaundehl Runka, Irmi Critcher, Arzeena Hamir and Brian Underhill.
Barnett said in her previous role as parliamentary secretary for rural development with the B.C. Liberal Government she was gaining traction, but now it seems the bigger centres are where meetings are taking place.
“They need to have greater representation from places like the Cariboo, where there is a big portion of the ranching community. Is that not food security? Do ranchers not produce food?” she said.