After nearly seven decades on the books, B.C.’s Animal Health Act is getting an overhaul, giving the Province the ability to limit the spread of current and emerging diseases and better respond to potentially disastrous outbreaks.

Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines and Minister Responsible for Core Review and Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, on behalf of Pat Pimm, Minister of Agriculture, announced improvements to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) that will protect farmland in British Columbia and maintain the ALC's independence.

British Columbians are being encouraged to pick local when shopping for plants and flowers for Valentine's Day gifts and throughout the year, and to enjoy the high-quality buds and blooms while supporting B.C.'s economy.

Restaurant servers and retail staff throughout B.C. are using the skills from B.C. Wine Institute-led training to help diners pair the right BC VQA wine with local meals, through $50,000 from the B.C. government's Buy Local program.

British Columbia's newest centre of excellence is dedicated to agriculture, with construction progressing at the University of the Fraser Valley on a brand-new barn and greenhouses after an investment of $1 million by government.

Producers, retailers, chefs and consumers will receive enhanced information on British Columbia meat products through two separate projects the BC Association of Abattoirs is running as a result of $63,250 in Buy Local Program funding.

The Governments of Canada and British Columbia are supporting B.C. agrifoods producers to export to international marketplaces through a new program under the Growing Forward 2 agreement.