Specialty Review

To all small growers in BC

Presently the BC Ag. is conducting a "Specialty Review" for small growers not growing under the "quota" system. This has come about because of many years of labour and insistence from so many good folk involved in Organic growing in BC. The review was also timely because of the so-called issues of Food Safety and Biosecurity surrounding the handling and production of food in BC and across Canada.

I want to advise all of you waiting for the FIRB decisions to be handed out officially on September 1st 2005, to be careful. We are being told that we can feel safe in coming forward to the various marketing boards, and ask for permits to grow under certified growing practises. We are being told that, now, finally the various marketing boards are going to act in a non-prejudicial fashion to all these growers......they are going to welcome and embrace the diversity that comes from growing in a non-industrial fashion. Well, do not buy into that logic, because I have first hand knowledge that this is not going to happen. The marketing boards first purpose is to protect the "wealth" they have built up over the years in their respective "commodities". They are going to protect those that have quotas, be it that it was inherited or paid for. The marketing boards are going to ask the small farmers to be honest and transparent......"Tell me your past history"!! That will then give them the ultimate power to charge each and every one of you back levies for product you innocently sold before being consumed under this new "umbrella" of permits.

What a way to reduce the number of small family operators in the province in favour of the big corporates!! Fear, intimidation? You bet!! Agriculture in this province is under siege!! If you and I think we have the "right" to know what it is we are ingesting......you are wrong.....because if the marketing boards had their way......3 or 4 people would be growing all your food and you would have no choice.

I have this knowledge from a first hand experience with the BC Chicken Marketing Board.

They are powerful, autonomous.....and they certainly are not going to have any BC government "tell" them to include non-industrial growing of food in this province!!!

I look forward to the language that will come from this message!! :-))

Virginia Jacobsen
Polderside Farms