Staff from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Ministry of Agriculture, and BC Cattlemen’s Association were on hand to present information to the Cariboo Regional District board about livestock fencing last week.
All agencies reaffirmed that the legal requirements for fencing out livestock adjacent to range lands remain with property owners, not range holders. However, they clarified that fencing between private properties is the joint responsibility of both property owners.
Residents should note that livestock may be permitted to be on range lands from mid-spring to late fall, dependent on seasonal conditions. Each rancher is allocated a set amount of time they can have their livestock on range lands, and each ranch has a range use plan identifying when livestock will be on range lands. Provincial compliance and enforcement personnel will investigate complaints about livestock being on range lands outside of these times, and may issue tickets, suspensions, or cancellations of licenses. Complaints can be made by calling 1 888-221-7141 or emailing AgriServiceBC@gov.bc.ca.
The board raised several concerns about unmaintained or absent fencing along numbered highways in the region, and livestock being present on major highways. Representatives from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure advised that it is the responsibility of livestock owners to build and maintain livestock fencing along a highway. Funding is available through the BC Cattlemen’s Association to maintain and build fencing until 2025. Applications can be submitted through the BC Cattlemen’s website and are due by August 31, 2024.
More information about livestock at large, range lands, and fencing requirements can be found online through the Province’s website.
One thought on “Province and cattlemen’s association talk fencing”
Clearly these laws of the past generation simply do not make sense in our growing populous and migration to rural regions in the province. The cattle owners need to bear a good portion of the responsibility to maintain their fencing and the province needs to fence the land they lea$$$$e to farmers. The Livestock act has remained relatively the same since the 90s yet the world around it has completely changed. Time for these old dogs to get their head out of the arses and the sand and update with the times