Whereas farms in British Columbia are facing increasing pressure from rising costs, climate disruptions, workforce shortages, and global market volatilityincluding tariffsmaking it harder to remain viable and threatening the provinces food security and rural economies; And whereas Agricultural Land Commission ALC regulations currently permit food and beverage service lounges for alcohol-producing farms if 50 of the primary product is grown on-site, but farms focused on food production face a more complex, uncertain, and inequitable approval process: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM advocate to the Province for amendments to ALC regulations that would enable local governments to allow food-producing farms to operate restaurant lounges under the following conditions: 1. At least 50 of the food served in the restaurant lounge must be produced on the farm where the restaurant is located; 2. The restaurant lounge must comply with existing size restrictions applicable to food and beverage service lounges for alcohol-producing businesses 125 m indoors and 125 m outdoors; and 3. The UBCM work with the ALC to ensure that these amendments support the sustainability and economic viability of farms while maintaining the integrity of the Agricultural Land Reserve.
