Fight to preserve 'vitally important' federal farmland from developments goes to public hearing

A fight is on to try and protect federally-owned farmland in B.C.'s Lower Mainland from being sold to developers.

The Agricultural Land Commission will hold a public hearing later this month as it considers whether the more than 200-acre property in Surrey should be preserved.

Farmers who lease the land are raising food security issues, saying the parcel is critical for food production.

“This year, because of its growing season, 70 per cent of all the potatoes produced in B.C. between May and August came from this one piece of property,” said Tyler Heppell, a production manager at Heppell Farms.

The fourth-generation farmer said the land produces a variety of vegetables including carrots, cabbage, beats and squash.

“Around 50 million servings of vegetables come off this every year," he said, adding that his family have been leasing the land for five decades.

Farmers say part of what makes the land so special is its well-drained soil, which allows for early planting and early crops.

“There’s no other piece of land like this in western Canada that can produce so much, so early, when we rely so much on California production,” said Tristin Bouwman, who also works at Heppell’s.

They worry the farmland will be used for industrial purposes and warehouses will be built on the property.

They want it put into the Agricultural Land Reserve and then a covenant put on the land “so that one day it doesn’t end up being warehouse buildings or even a mall like we’ve seen in the past,” Heppell said of the property, which is near 192 Street and 38 Avenue in Surrey.

Ian Paton, the Liberal opposition critic for agriculture, is one of those who intends to speak at the public hearing.

“It’s just vitally important that we preserve this piece of land,” he said.

“If we see this piece of farmland go back into industrial warehouses such as Campbell Heights right next door, we made as well toss the Agricultural Land Reserve out the window.”

Heppell began a TikTok account to raise awareness about the farmland. His account now has more than 100 million views.

“If COVID taught us one thing, it’s that store shelves can be empty and it is a scary time when they are. Now more than ever, people are very invested in where their food’s coming from and not only that, but where their food will come from in the future,” he said.

Bouwman said the land is more important now than ever.

“In order to protect our food supply as California’s ability to produce becomes more and more questionable with the water shortages they face, this piece is critical,” he said.

“Losing this land would increase our reliance on imported products and in times when our supply chains are struggling. It would mean that we potentially could end up with the kind of situations that we’ve seen in the last couple years,” Bouwman explained.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food said in an emailed statement that it recognizes “the importance of the inclusion and preservation of suitable land within the ALR so the B.C. agriculture sector can continue to grow in terms of food security, economic activity, and community strength throughout the province.”

The ministry pointed out that the ALC is an administrative tribunal that is at arm’s length from government and has with an independent decision-making process

The hearing will take place Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. at the KPU Langley Campus Auditorium.

The ALC did not say when it would make a decision.