Abbotsford, B.C. – October 26, 2021: It has been two years since British Columbia’s farmers, ranchers and industry leaders last gathered for Ag Day in Victoria where they connected with government to discuss matters impacting the sector. While the annual event won’t take place in Victoria this year, Ag Day will go forward virtually, beginning today. This year’s discussions will focus on three top priorities for agriculture: food security, water security, and labour.

Organized by BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) as the sector’s key advocacy event of the year, Ag Day is a series of scheduled meetings between B.C. farmers and ranchers, Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, and senior government officials and other key stakeholders such as the Agricultural Land Commission.

Stan Vander Waal, BCAC President states, “Cultivating our relationships with key government stakeholders is critical to the success of our sector. For me, Ag Day in Victoria always reaffirms the need for a unified voice for agriculture in B.C. because we are so diverse as we are, we all share the same common goals and interests at the end of the day and bringing those messages on a united front demonstrates the sector’s significance.”

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns about food security have intensified, and governments and the public have started to re-evaluate the way they see and value agriculture. In 2020, British Columbians saw how quickly the food system could be disrupted. These disruptions highlighted the importance of investing in agriculture to ensure access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for British Columbians. Hotter, dryer summers are an additional challenge, forcing producers to rely more heavily on irrigation – not precipitation – to water crops. To secure a strong food supply, farms and ranches need a stable workforce. BC Agriculture Council is actively working on solutions to improve the availability of farmworkers and continually improve working and living conditions.

“This year’s B.C. Ag Day is a reminder to all British Columbians how fortunate we are to have so many dedicated people producing food and other products for our families, how our decision to Buy BC supports them, and how important the work we are doing to promote B.C.’s food security is for current and future generations,” said B.C. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Lana Popham. “Our government will continue to work with B.C.’s farmers and ranchers to increase production, opportunities and sales, and to use technology that supports their businesses, cares for the environment, and increases our long-term food security in a changing climate.”

BC Agriculture Council is the lead industry advocate for key sector-wide priorities in British Columbia.

With over 200 primary commodities grown, harvested and raised in the province, the sector is one of the most diverse in Canada. In 2019, the B.C. agriculture sector generated total farm cash receipts of $3.8 billion, exported approximately $3.2 billion worth of agriculture and agri-food products, and generated an estimated 35,100 direct jobs within the province.

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Media Contact:
Amy Dhanjal 
Manager of Communications and Public Relations 
BC Agriculture Council 
604-854-4454 |  adhanjal@bcac.ca