Skip to content

More changes to Agricultural Land Commission

The NDP government continues to make changes to the Agricultural Land Commission following major changes enacted by the previous Liberal government.

Legislation has been introduced to strengthen the independence of the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), “so it can better fulfill its mandate of preserving the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), while encouraging farming and ranching within British Columbia,” according to a government news release.

“The bill tabled today builds on the work we started over a year ago to better protect farmland and encourage farming and ranching in B.C.,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture, in a press release. “We are ensuring the commission has the tools and the governance model required to strengthen its independence and ability to act in the best interest of our farmland within the Agricultural Land Reserve, so that British Columbians are able to access safe, locally grown food for generations to come.”

If passed, the legislation will:

1. replace the current ALC governance model of six panel regions and an executive committee with one commission maintaining regional representation by requiring membership from all six administrative regions;

2. provide the chair of the ALC with more flexibility to organize commission members into a decision-making panel on applications when warranted, by topic, technical expertise or by an administrative region;

3. add new decision-making criteria to prioritize the protection and enhancement of the size, integrity and continuity of the land base that the ALC must consider when exercising any power or performing a duty under the ALCA;

4. add more compliance and enforcement capacity and tools, including a new offence for landowners who do not produce records to the ALC when ordered;

5. require that exclusions be submitted to the ALC only by local governments, First Nations governments or the Province, to encourage these type of applications be done as part of thoughtful land-use planning process.

The Agricultural Land Reserve was established in 1973 to protect land with prime agricultural conditions for farming and ranching. It currently protects approximately 4.6 million hectares of agriculturally suitable land in British Columbia. The ALR is administered by the Agricultural Land Commission, an independent tribunal mandated to preserve agricultural land and encourage farming on agricultural land.

“BC Agriculture Council appreciates working with government on its efforts to revitalize the ALC/ALR,” said Stan Vander Waal, president, BC Agriculture Council. “In order to ensure farmland is protected for current and future food security, while protecting the rights of farmers and ranchers, the ALC’s governance structure must have a decision-making process that is flexible, adaptive and efficient. Overall, the update is a positive step forward. We strongly support local regional input, which is critical given the diversity of agriculture in B.C.”

Quick Facts:

  • The ALR includes 46,159 square kilometres of B.C. that are preserved for agricultural use, which is equivalent to less than five per cent of B.C.’s total land base.
  • Land in the ALR falls into one of seven soil classes, ranging from Class 1 (wide range of crops can be grown without difficulty) to Class 7 (unsuitable for soil-based agriculture or sustained grazing, suitable for barns, greenhouses and processing facilities).
  • Currently, 10 per cent of the land in the ALR produces 85 per cent of B.C.’s farm receipts, and three per cent of ALR land in the South Coast region produces 65 per cent of the province’s farm receipts.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *