Whereas water sustainability, healthy watersheds and ground water are of vital importance and, commercial fertilizers can be damaging to groundwater and influence water quality in watersheds; And whereas the use of fertilizers in greenhouses and indoor structures creates effluent that contains concentrated commercial fertilizers which, if released untreated can be damaging to groundwater and the overall watershed: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the provincial government explore including in the BC Agricultural Best Practices, the requirement for closed loop greenhouse irrigation systems in commercial greenhouse and indoor agricultural structures, to prevent commercial fertilizers from being emitted into the environment.
Ministry of Agriculture Government is committed to the protection of watersheds and drinking water and has introduced new measures this year to ensure agricultural practices do not have negative impacts on the environment. The Ministry of Agriculture provides guidance on beneficial management practices, including practices to better manage leachate in greenhouses. This guidance can be found in Chapter 4 of the Environmental Farm Plan Reference Guide on the BC Government website. As written in this guide, closed or recirculation systems may effectively protect water quality and conserve water, and should be evaluated for each greenhouse operation to determine if there are other measures that would be more suitable. Ministry of Agriculture staff are working closely with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to implement the new Code of Practice for Agricultural Environmental Management, which came in to effect in on February 28, 2019 and includes requirements for the use of commercial fertilizers on farms. Under these requirements, agricultural operations are not allowed to release untreated effluent or leachate in a manner that would directly enter a watercourse or result in groundwater contamination. The regulation is not prescriptive as it relates to the fertilization practices used on farms, but it does provide compliance staff with the regulatory tools needed to ensure that the outcome of safe, clean water is met.