VICTORIA— The B.C. Liberals’ decision to allow people in some communities to buy meat from local farmers while still outlawing farm gate sales in most of the province is arbitrary and illogical, say the New Democrats.
“New Democrats have been saying farm gate sales can be done safely ever since the B.C. Liberals took away our right to buy meat directly from farmers,” said healthy living and sport critic Jagrup Brar. “Now, after six years of dithering and misinformation they have admitted that farm-gate sales of meat can be done safely, but the B.C. Liberals are still restricting consumers’ right to buy local meat.”
On Friday, the government announced new classes of meat license which will allow farm gate sales, but these licenses will only be available in Bella Coola, the Powell River Regional District and Haida Gwaii. New class D Retail Sales licenses will permit farmers to make direct sales to local consumers and to retail establishments, while Class E Direct Sales licenses will permit farmers to make direct sales to local consumers. Both licenses restrict the amount of meat farmers are allowed to produce annually.
North Coast MLA Gary Coons, who has been fighting for assistance for over 3 years, sees this as a victory for those in Bella Coola and Haida Gwaii but does not understand the logic behind it. ”The new licenses are a step in the right direction, but restricting farm gate sales to certain areas of the province is arbitrary and illogical. It’s concerning that it took this long for the Minister to realize the geography of the province and that there were viable solutions for those in rural and remote areas. I am pleased that we can finally move forward and have people buy farm gate from their neighbours, as they have done for decades.”
“If the B.C. Liberals are willing to admit that it’s safe to buy meat from local farmers on Haida Gwaii or in Powell River, then why isn’t it safe in Saanich or Kamloops?” said Opposition agriculture critic Lana Popham. “The B.C. Liberals’ decision to restrict farm gate sales licenses to only three regions of the province doesn’t make any sense.”
Popham said the lack of consultation has been especially appalling. She noted this is just one more instance of a government making one-off decisions instead of coming up with a plan that supports small farmers.
“The B.C. Liberals are creating even more chaos with this decision,” said Popham. “People spent money on a transition plan that was never designed to work.”
Brar noted that countless small farmers went out of business after the B.C. Liberals brought in regulations that restrict consumer choice.
“After six years of failed agricultural policy, the B.C. Liberals are still refusing to give consumers across the province what they want – the right to buy meat directly from a farmer they trust,” said Brar.
Carole James and the New Democrats are advocating for positive environmental solutions, including a Green Fund which would see $150 million a year for climate change solutions and transit improvements in communities across the province.
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Oct. 20, 2007
RURAL FARMERS IGNORED AS NEW MEAT REGULATIONS MOVE FORWARD
PRINCE RUPERT – On Thursday in Question Period the New Democrats pounded the B.C. Liberals on the Meat Industry Regulation they imposed in September.
“The Campbell government remained arrogant in its response to rural farmers across the province today by refusing to fix the new regulation,” said Agriculture Critic Corky Evans.
“The Meat Industry Regulation continues to wipe out thousands of family farms throughout rural B.C. who face unmanageable capital improvement costs, just to sell meat locally and legally,” said Evans.
North Coast MLA Gary Coons is concerned that cutting off the supply of local meat will likely make it more difficult for some families in his constituency to get by, as well as decreasing food security for the entire region.
“Food prices on island communities are already extremely high; eliminating local meat from the market will mean a lot less on the table for some families,” Coons noted. “British Columbia is not a uniform province; differences in geography and culture need to be taken into consideration when the government gets to tinkering with something as fundamental to our lives as food.”
Coons also sees the issue not only in terms of economics, but in terms of the environment. There are no commercial slaughtering facilities that meet the new regulations anywhere in his constituency. This means vast amounts of fossil fuels must be consumed to put meat on his constituent’s plates.
“It doesn’t make sense to enforce these regulations, in economic or environmental terms,” said Coons. “For example, someone who raises cattle on the Queen Charlotte Islands is expected to transport their animals to the nearest licensed facility in Prince George, or even to Alberta, to be slaughtered, burning hundreds of litres of gasoline in the process. If we are trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this is exactly the wrong way to do it. We should be encouraging local agriculture, not running it out of business.”
Coons is particularly puzzled as to why the government has chosen to ignore the recommendations by Don Richardson, a prominent veterinarian and cattle breeder who has been slaughtering and selling beef from his ranch in Tlell for 88 years. His recommendations focused on certifying small producers to slaughter meat for direct sale from the farm to the consumer.
“Producers like Don Richardson are not saying no to regulation, they are simply asking the government to be sensible,” said Coons. “There is no evidence that small meat producers pose a significant threat to the health of British Columbians; they shouldn’t be driven out of business because of ill-conceived legislation.”
“The New Democrat rural caucus has made this issue a top priority in the House this fall,” said Evans. “The Regulation clearly favours factory farms over family farms. It does not work for small rural communities-period.”
The B.C. Meat Inspection Regulation which governs the slaughter of animals for food sales in British Columbia was enforced province wide Sept. 30, 2007.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2007
B.C. LIBERALS GENERATE CHAOS WITH NEW MEAT REGULATIONS
The Campbell government is continuing to botch the implementation of the new Meat Industry Regulation by throwing misinformation into the mix, says New Democrat MLA Gary Coons.
In a recent media interview, B.C. Liberal MLA Val Roddick gave radio listeners the wrong information when she was quoted as saying, “Right now you can buy [meat] right from the farm. It is just that you can’t resell. You can certainly go and buy right now from a local farm, what these regulations mean is that you cannot resell to a restaurant or a store.”
The radio show was pushed to air a subsequent segment to clear up the mass confusion generated by Roddick’s erroneous statement.
“Under the Campbell government’s current legislation selling meat without government inspection at the farm gate is illegal, and this statement only intensifies the chaos generated by the government’s handling of the issue,” said MLA Coons.
“When the B.C. Liberal Parliamentary Secretary for Agricultural Planning, who herself is involved in agribusiness, shows confusion around her own government’s legislation, it’s clear that something is massively wrong with the way the Meat Industry Regulation has been handled,” said MLA Coons.
Roddick’s statements were compounded by earlier confusion in the industry when the Minister of Agriculture announced last minute changes to the September 30 Meat Industry Regulation deadline. Under the new changes only meat producers and processors actively working towards Meat Industry Regulation licensing are permitted to continue operations, for six additional months, under a Class C transition license issued by the BC Centre for Disease Control.
“The Campbell government has repeatedly delayed implementing the Regulation, made last minute changes to the September 30 deadline, and now they’re playing damage control after Roddick’s interview,” said MLA —. “I am calling on MLA Roddick to apologize to the farmers and processors throughout B.C. who she has troubled further with her misinformation.”
“The government needs to recognize that it is throwing many small meat producers and processors out of business by rushing ahead with new regulations without adequate consultation with the meat industry,” said MLA Coons.
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October 2, 2007
For Immediate Release
LATE ADJUSTMENTS TO MEAT REGS NOT GOOD ENOUGH-
MLA Coons continues fight for input and changes
Prince Rupert – The Liberal government’s last minute attempt to provide temporary relief to small meat producers and processors is a band-aid solution for a major problem, says New Democrat MLA Gary Coons
“Small meat producers and processors won a small but temporary victory with Friday’s announcement that some operations will get another half year to operate,” said Coons MLA for North Coast. “But this Campbell government’s decision to impose the deeply flawed Meat Industry Regulation continues to put the industry at great risk, and we will continue to fight for changes that will ensure long term viability for all safe meat operations in and around the Central and North Coast.”
Two days prior to the Sept. 30 deadline for imposing the new MIR, the Campbell government responded to opposition pressure for industry assistance. In a Ministry of Health release dated September 28, the province announced it would provide six-month transitional licences to meat processors whose facility upgrades were in progress.
This is the second attempt since 2004 to delay implementation of the Regulation. One of the major problems with the Regulation is it ignores small meat producers and processors who lack the capital associated with MIR upgrades.”
“This is another example of the Campbell government dismal failing to meet the needs of rural B.C.,” said Coons. “We continue to call on the Minister of Agriculture to offer a realistic program, with strategies and incentives, which includes all industry players and increase meat transition funding under the MIR. We must ensure the viability of local food production in rural and remote areas of the Province.”
The MIR is a regulation which governs the slaughter of animals for food sales in British Columbia.
For Immediate Release
September 25, 2007
NDP PUTS PRESSURE ON CAMPBELL GOVERNMENT TO HALT MEAT PROCESSING REGS
VICTORIA – New Democrat MLAs are turning up the heat on the Campbell Liberals to rescind the September 30 deadline for the new Meat Inspection Regulation (MIR) – a move which threatens to devastate the livelihoods of meat processors across rural B.C.
“Independent meat producers across B.C. are approaching their MLAs to say that this looming deadline could spell disaster for the industry,” said Charlie Wyse, MLA for Cariboo South. “We’re delivering the message loud and clear to this government that they must not go through with this.”
“The New Democrat Caucus has unanimously agreed to make this issue a top priority,” said Agriculture Critic Corky Evans. “The regulation does not work for small rural communities, and in the case of isolated communities, defy common sense.”
At a full caucus meeting on Monday, September 24, the New Democrat MLAs agreed that the Campbell government is imposing the MIR without consultation from smaller players in the meat industry, and without adequate resources for implementation. The New Democrats are calling on the Campbell government to deliver a clear, equitable regulation which does not impose unmanageable capital improvement costs on smaller meat processors.
North Coast MLA Gary Coons has had numerous discussions about this issue with many concerned constituents and believes if these regulations come into force the negative impact on family farms in BC will be substantial.
“Many concerns need to be addressed…the expensive undertaking of upgrading local abbatoirs, the possibility of ‘going underground’ with private sales and regulations that must have the support of small processors,” said Coons. “This is a continuing example of the Campbell government not listening to British Columbians and putting corporate interests first. We’ve contacted both Minister bell and Minister Abbott to request rescinding the September 30 deadline and meet with local stakeholders to ensure the vitality of local meat processing facilities in B.C.” (letter below)
“Farmers from around this province have proposed viable solutions for their communities since the MIR was proposed and many were not even provided with the courtesy of a reply. This speaks of a government whose interests have again failed rural B.C.,” said Wyse.
The B.C. Meat Inspection Regulation was enacted as part of the Food Safety Act in 2004 and application of the regulation will be enforced province wide Sept. 30, 2007. The Regulation is set to govern the slaughter of animals for food sales in British Columbia.