Whereas provincial funding for agriculture in British Columbia as a percentage of the sectors contribution to Gross Domestic Product GDP is the lowest in Canada; And whereas an increase to the Ministry of Agriculture and Foods budget would demonstrate the provinces commitment to food security and the sustainability of agriculture: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the provincial government to raise agriculture funding in BC to the national average to support much-needed investments in the agricultural sector.
Ministry of Agriculture and Food The Ministry of Agriculture and Food AF appreciates the interest and focus on its funding amount and the intention of this resolution. The amount of funding that AF has to deliver essential programs, services and supports to famers, producers and processors is a key topic for the Ministry. The Ministry has been fortunate to have received significantly increased funding since this government was elected. Since 2017 the Ministrys overall budget has increased by 57.8 million from 85.2 million in 2017 to 143 million in 202526, an increase of 68 percent. This increase shows we are serious about supporting our hard-working farming families and those who put food and drink on the tables of BC families. In this most recent year, the Ministry received an increase of just over 12 million for the Production Insurance program, a program that helps producers manage their risk of crop losses caused by hail, spring frost, excessive rain, flooding, drought, etc. In 2020, British Columbias funding for agriculture was 2 percent of the sectors GDP contribution and ranked 8th of the 10 provinces. By 2024, the ratio has steadily increased to 7 percent of the sectors GDP contribution and now ranks 4th amongst the 10 provinces. The majority of funding for BCs agriculture sector comes from cost shared funding with Federal Government under the S-CAP Agreement. BC will continue to advocate for fair and flexible funding for BCs producers and food processors.