Agriculture -- (Protection Against)

Although the agricultural industry is capable of providing both the food we need for nourishment, and considerable ecological services like green space and habitat (see Guide page on Agriculture and Soil Conservation), there are also models of agriculture that raise real problems for environmentally-sound watershed management.  In an April 2001 study, 10 North American scientists including David Schindler concluded the impacts of environmental change and degradation generated by world agriculture are in many respects more tangible and worrying than global warming.  Examples include:

·         Water pollution – Agriculture is the world’s largest source of ground water pollution.  The US Environmental Protection Agency reports that animal waste from US farms pollutes American waterways more than all other industrial sources combined. 

·         Inefficient use of resources – Across BC, more energy is going into agriculture (e.g. fertilizers, fossil fuel use) than is coming out (e.g. in food).  Some studies conclude the food and agriculture system is the major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally. 

·         Biological Diversity – Losing the bio-diversity of food is a growing concern and a growing ecological vulnerability.  Of 7,000 varieties of apples once grown in the US, for example, 6,000 are now extinct.

·         Pesticides and toxins – Health Canada says we receive 80% to 95% of our total daily intake of dangerous chemicals such as persistent organic pollutants through our food—and children are especially vulnerable.

·         Soil Erosion – Almost half of BC's agricultural land base is at risk of unsustainable soil erosion by water and tillage.

·         Genetically Modified Organisms – More and more people find biotechnology and genetic engineering alarming because they feel these technologies are insufficiently tested and can create totally new organisms with unforeseeable consequences for human health and the web of life.

Environmental risks associated with agriculture in BC are regulated by a variety of statutes, including:

·         Agricultural Waste Control Regulation – Sets rules for agricultural waste under the Waste Management Act.

·         Fisheries Act (Canada) – Regulates pollution that is harmful to fish or fish habitat, including from agricultural operations.

·         Health Act – Regulates farm practices that may result in a health hazard.

·         Local Government Act – Allows local governments to, within limits, establish rules related to farms and farming.

·         Pest Products Control Act – Allows the Federal Government to approve pesticides for sale in Canada.

·         Pesticide Control Act – Regulates the sale, transport, storage and application of pesticides.

·         Water Act – Regulates use of surface water for irrigation, etc., and work in and around streams.

·         Wildlife Act – Regulates harassment, trapping, poisoning, shooting and other actions harmful to wildlife.

A person living adjacent to a farm which is causing pollution might want to consider their common law property rights.  However, these rights are limited in the case of pollution by a farmer in B.C. by the Farm Practices Protection Act. 

In addition, both the federal and provincial governments have programmes to encourage farmers to develop plans to avoid environmental problems. 

There is a separate guide page that outlines additional requirements for using public land for the ranch industry.

Related Guide Pages:

·         Agriculture (Protection of)

·         Agriculture -- Ranching

·         Agri-Environmental Farm Plans

·         Agricultural Plans (Provincial)

For more information about Agriculture – Protection Against:

·         Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries FACTSHEET: Environmental Guidelines for Producers

·         Growing Green website

·         FarmFolk/CityFolk

·         BC Food Systems Network

·         Foodwatch