Apple Orchard
If you are a fruit grower who lives outside ‘the Lower Rainland’ you may not have paid too much attention to the former Agriculture Waste Control Regulations.
But that needs to change. With the passing of the new Agriculture Environmental Management Code of Practice or “AEMCoP” for short, there are new regulations that apply to all fruit growers across the province and some that are specific to certain areas, not just high precipitation zones.
The BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) is leading the drive to educate all farmers, with meetings, workshops and resources. “We are really trying to get the message out there that everyone needs to look at this,” says BC Ag Council Communications Manager Cassy Jones.
BCAC has prepared a dedicated AEM site https://bcac.ca/aemcop/, which includes commodity specific summaries that include links for growers to get further details.
There are three categories of regulations, some that you should have begun practicing when the legislation came in February 2019, some that begin this fall, and some that will be phased in after July 15, 2023.
Starting this last spring, growers should have been keeping records to verify nutrient management practices, including recording crop nutrient requirements, yields, soil tests, and nutrient application rates. Nutrient sources need to be applied at rates that meet but do not exceed crop requirements and applications need to follow new set-back rules near a water course or a ditch that drains into one.
Starting this fall, post-harvest soil testing of both nitrate and phosphorus is mandatory if your farm is two hectares (five acres) or larger. Application of nitrogen and phosphorus November to January is restricted if you are located in a high precipitation area but may be permitted with a risk assessment October, February and March. There are also rules about covering temporary field-stored piles, including byproducts and wood residue in high precipitation areas but also during high risk conditions anywhere in the province.
“Those really aren’t very onerous,” says Glen Lucas, General Manager of the BC Fruit Growers Association. “If you are a good grower you are already managing your nutrients, keeping records (for Food Safe) and doing soil tests anyway.”
Where Lucas takes exception are regulations proposed for 2023, which will require nutrient management plans depending on your soil tests, if you are in a vulnerable aquifer recharge area (lots in the Okanagan, Creston, Cranbrook, South Island, and the Fraser Valley), or a “phosphorus affected area,” which covers the entire south-central interior, Lower Mainland and all of Vancouver Island.
“They have really expanded the phosphorus sensitive areas from what we originally were told,” says Lucas. “We are looking at the science they are using to support that and will be discussing our concerns.”