Agriculture and the Environment
The City of Chilliwack partners with the agricultural community to ensure environmental sustainability.
Principles on Achieving Environmental Goals on Farmland
For more information please check Agricultural Land and Environment BC Website
Compliance with Laws and Regulations
The agriculture industry has had to comply with various laws and regulations for decades, including those dealing with environmental protection. The Waste Management Act, Water Sustainability Act, Fisheries Act, and Pesticide Control Act are a few of the laws with which farmers and ranchers must comply. When conducting their businesses, agricultural operators are expected to exercise due diligence to ensure that their businesses conform to the requirements of these laws. Contaminants from manure, fertilizers, and pesticides include ammonia, nutrients, pathogens and sediments.
Achieving Enhanced Environmental Goals
Compliance with laws is not sufficient to achieve all environmental goals.
Examples include:
- enhancing function of shoreline areas
- improving habitat for migratory birds by providing feed and shelter on farmland
- conserving wildlife habitat by keeping farmland in native vegetation
(*source:Ministry of Agriculture)
Agriculture - Manure Spreading
Manure Spreading Advisories for the South Coastal Region are available at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/agricultural-land-and-environment/soil-nutrients/nutrient-management/manure-spreading-advisories.
In addition to considering these advisories, please consider how the environment and other variables affect ammonia loss (loss of nitrogen fertilizer value) when planning the first manure applications of the year:
http://www.farmwest.com/climate/ammonia
For further information please contact:
BC Ministry of Agriculture, Gregory Rekken, [email protected] or David Poon, PAg at 778.666.0562
For questions of a regulatory nature, please contact: BC Ministry of Environment: To report a spill call 1.800.663.3456. To report pollution call 1.877.952.7277.
For general information about manure applications in the south coast of British Columbia, please refer to the FAQ Factsheet.