After the sudden closure of BC Tree Fruits late last week, BC United is calling on Premier David Eby and the NDP government to take immediate action.
The shocking announcement from the cooperative with a head office in Kelowna has left over 330 farming families scrambling to find other avenues to pack and sell their fruit.
“We are urging the NDP government to step up and provide the necessary resources to support this vital industry,” said BC United leader Kevin Falcon. “With the industry on the brink, where are Premier Eby and the agriculture minister?”
A statement issued by BC United late Tuesday said the closure highlights “a dire need” for government intervention to prevent significant job losses and disruptions of BC’s food supply chain.
“The looming dissolution of the BC Tree Fruits cooperative is a direct result of the NDP ignoring an issue until it becomes a full-blown crisis,” claimed MLA Ian Paton, BC United’s shadow minister for agriculture and food.
“This cooperative is essential for packing, storing and marketing various fruits and its closure could permanently damage BC’s fruit industry, impacting countless families and the economy.”
NowMedia has requested a comment from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
BC United says the party is calling on the following actions to be taken immediately by the NDP:
- Freezing the cooperative’s asset liquidation.
- Providing immediate emergency funding to allow growers to store and process this season's harvest.
- Ensuring that controlled atmosphere storage is operational as soon as possible to preserve fruits currently being harvested and to mitigate further losses in the industry.
In a follow-up statement issued Wednesday, BC United doubled down on its urgency and called for a full independent audit of BC Tree Fruits’ decision to shut down and liquidate assets.
“This cooperative...had two provincial staff members on their board. These members made the devastating decision to cease operations without any intervention from the government," Falcon said.
"How did this situation escalate so quickly with the provincial government having oversight through these two members?”
In the statement, BC United said the closure of the nearly 90-year-old organization has “major implications,” and leaves farms in a difficult spot with fruit needing to be packed and sold.
On Tuesday, KelownaNow spoke with affected orchardist Amarjit Lalli, who called the sudden decision to close “devastating.”
“BC Tree Fruits is the backbone,” he told Kent Molgat. “It’s what stabilizes prices for the industry.”
Lalli said the BC Tree Fruits board’s decision was illegal and added that he and other growers have hired a lawyer to help look at their options.
Later that night, Falcon, Paton and local BC United candidate Pavneet Singh held an event for farmers and other voters at Gatzke’s Farm Market in Lake Country, which the party says was heavily attended.
Singh says the BC Tree Fruit shutdown was one of the main talking points at the event, along with climate change and other challenges faced by farmers and growers.
“In this critical moment, only BC United is standing up for these farmers, who have heard nothing from the NDP or John Rustad’s party,” the BC United statement finished up with.
“BC United is demanding immediate government action to safeguard this essential collective and protect BC’s agricultural sector.”