British Columbia
Land based factory farming in BC
Farmland is at a premium in beautiful BC. Small amounts of arable land combined with a high population in the lower mainland means intensive agriculture - industrial hog and chicken production - is a major part of the agriculture sector.
The Peace River area and the Okanagan are also agricultural areas of BC, but the distance from packing plants in Alberta and Saskatchewan means there has been less pressure to expand factory farming in these areas.
BC Meat Inspection Regulations
New meat inspection regulations take effect September 30 in BC
These regulations will close down most of our fixed and mobile slaughter facilities in British Columbia, removing a critical piece of infrastructure in BC’s food system. We need to take action.
- Toolkit for Action (pdf 116kb)
- BC Food Systems Network letter to Premier Gordon Campbell—BC’s Meat Inspection Regulation: implementation slaughters small-scale meat production (pdf 60kb) details concerns and makes recommendations for action.
BC’s meat inspection legislation will make a bad situation worse by pushing small abattoirs and their small farm customers out of business.
On July 22, 2004 BC’s Minister of Health approved new meat inspection regulations (pdf) effective September 1, 2004.
The Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable (CR - FAIR) has issued a memo to all BC MLAs (pdf) outlining concerns and policy recommendations to address meat inspection and meat safety in BC. The Beyond Factory Farming Coalition is one of the signatories to this memo.
Meat Inspection Regulation Links
- BC Ministry of Health New Meat Inspection Regulation
- A Critical Analysis of the Meat Inspection Issue in British Columbia by by Lyle Young, for The Island Farmers Alliance Meat Inspection Committee
- Proposed meat inspection regulation by Peter Johnston
- Letter to BC Agriculture Minister Van Dongen by Cathleen Kneen, on behalf of the Livestock Caucus of the Certified Organic Associations
- Manure emissions from factory farms on the lower mainland lead to smog health hazard.
Avian Flu
The outbreak of avian flu in British Columbia in the spring of 2004 has focussed national attention on the concentration of poultry production in BC’s Fraser Valley. More about Avian Flu… LINK
Aquaculture
Recently factory farming of fish has become a major concern. The fish farming industry is dominated by a few large multinational corporations. Fish farm operations are located along the coast where they pollute the marine environment and create disease and parasite problems for the natural salmon populations. Fish farms use Atlantic salmon, and exotic species. These fish sometimes escape from the fish farm enclosures and are now found in many - and even breeding in some — Pacific coast streams.
- The Coast Alliance for Aquaculture Reform, an umbrella group of First Nations, fishermen, and the conservation community groups working to protect wild salmon, coastal ecosystems, coastal communities and human health from destructive fish farming practices, is leading the fight against fish farming in BC.
- GRACE Factory Farm Project’s fish farming page includes links to many resources for background information and campaigns.
Other BC links
- BC Farm Net
- Growing Green For sustainable food systems
- The BC Food Systems Network
- British Columbia Farm Industry Review Board
- Certified Organic Livestock production
- Farm Folk - City Folk
- Laws and Regulations of BC
- British Columbia - Sustainable Resource Mgmt. - Water
- British Columbia - Sustainable Resource Mgmt. - Water - Legislation