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06/05/13 - Farm Net - Proposed changes would protect prime agricultural land
The Task Force on Land Use Policy, which began consultations last week, has outlined a range of proposals to protect prime agricultural land in the province. It has drafted Statements of Provincial Interest to guide the development and implementation of policies that provide direction to land use planning.
Its Statement on the protection of prime agricultural land says that the land “nourishes us and is a major economic driver of our economy.” It goes on to say that the future of agriculture rests in the top few centimeters of soil, and that careful nurturing is required to provide optimum economic and social return. “It is therefore in the Provincial interest to stabilize the agricultural land base,” it states, “and offer certainty to farmers in land use decisions.”
There are two main issues which impact on the protection of prime agricultural land. One is that financial pressures make subdividing farmland for residential use an attractive option for some retiring farmers (even though there are 35,000 undeveloped lots in the province.) On the other side of the coin, many operations are unable to expand and diversify due to encroachment from residential uses. During its consultations, the Commission on Land Use and Local Governance reported that it heard from just as many farmers who see their land as a liquid asset as from farmers who see it as the foundation of their livelihood and critical to the future of the industry. Reconciling both perspectives could prove difficult.
And there is the public interest, since land use impacts on all Islanders.
The task force has put forward a number of objectives. The first is to regulate the subdivision and development of prime agricultural land. To achieve this goal, it proposes the identification of land classes that are not normally open to further development or subdivision. It proposes that residential development on such land be restricted.
A second objective is to minimize potential land use conflicts by requiring minimum separation buffers be maintained by any development adjacent to agricultural lands, and by offering certainty to farmers in land use decisions by protecting their operations from encroachments by any other land use.
Farm operation would maintain the option to expand or diversify and be allowed to develop related industries, according to the third objective. These would include such activities as windmills, agri-tourism, farm markets and on-farm processing.
A related objective would regulate intensive agricultural operations by siting them with care for existing land uses, and preventing environmental contamination.
With respect to soil erosion, the task force proposes the regulation of soil management practices, ensuring adequate crop rotation and increased cooperation among landowners in watersheds.
The task force has developed a consultation document that details these and other proposals. It can be seen at http://www.gov.pe.ca/landandlocalgovernance. The next in the series of workshops will be held on Tuesday, May 7 at the Vanier Centre in Wellington, beginning at 6:30. French interpretation services will be available.
For More Information
Wayne MacKinnon
Email: wemackinnon@gov.pe.ca
