GVBOT supports proposed changes to enable food processing in the Agricultural Land Reserve

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade sent a letter to The Hon. Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food, expressing our support for the Province's proposed changes to expand food-processing opportunities in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).

The proposal represents a necessary and long overdue consideration in how B.C. supports local production, agriculture growth, food security, and economic resilience. The changes would help strengthen food security, support farmers, enhance supply chain resilience, and grow B.C.’s value-added agri-food sector. Together, these benefits can help attract investment, create local industrial jobs, and drive economic growth.

GVBOT has long advocated for modernizing industrial land policy to unlock the full potential of B.C.'s manufacturing and agri-food industries. In our report Building B.C.'s Economy: Fostering More Local Production, we found that increasing industrial land supply by just 1% could support 126,100 new jobs and add $12.2 billion to B.C.'s GDP.

In particular, we've pushed for the removal of the 50-50 Rule, which requires food processors to source at least half of their inputs from the farm where processing occurs. We support the Province's proposed replacement: a 5% minimum threshold for provincially grown or raised primary products used in food-processing facilities on eligible ALR land.

Read the full letter here.