Planting the seeds for a sustainable future - City of Kamloops

ISSUES SUMMARYA number of issues related to local agriculture have been identified through preliminary public surveys, the AgriculturalAdvisory committee, and conversations with local producers. Many of the issues are those that are also apparent provinciallyand, in some cases, are Canada-wide due to changing demographics and economies of scale. These issues, and othersuncovered through public engagement opportunities through the AAP process, will be investigated for their applicability in theCity's AAP. The Agriculture Advisory Committee has conducted a preliminary review of the issues and has highlighted some ashigh priorities.“High priority” is defined as:Municipal Responsibility;Industry Issue; andNeeds Immediate Attention.INDUSTRY VIABILITY1. Aging Demographics and Generational Transfer IssuesOlder farmers want to stay on the farm but are less willing to enter into new agricultural opportunities due to the associatedrisk. Children of farmers are seeking better employment opportunities off the farm. It is financially difficult for young farmersto enter the agriculture industry. Larger farm sales that do occur often involve transfers where capital was derived fromanother industry.2. Taxation and Regulatory CostsIn most non-supply managed agricultural commodities profit margins are minimal. The public & government can have asignificant effect on those margins by continually encouraging/imposing regulatory requirements on the industry. Examplesinclude:Pricing of resources;Land taxes;Grazing fees;CITY OF KAMLOOPS 51