Some of us are figuring that RIGHT NOW, OVER THE COMING WEEK is a very, very good time to write a letter requesting that our BC government exempt small farmers from the imposed meat regulations. We think a focused push, hopefully with hundreds of letters, might show how we have not gone away, that there are in fact even more of us, and that we want change.

Please ask that farmers be permitted to sell healthy animals from their farm gates, without trauma, fossil fuels, time and extra cost, and without the increased threat of contamination that a visit to a government inspected facility can bring.

Please write to our Premier. He has the power to lift the meat regulations as other provinces have.

Hon. Gordon Campbell   premier@gov.bc.ca
or Room 156, Parliament Buildings, Victoria BC V8V 1X4

or Ida Chong, who is holding the meat regulation potato right now:
Hon. Ida Chong
Minister of Healthy Living and Sport
P.O. Box 9062 Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2
250-387-3504
HLS.Minister@gov.bc.ca

or our Agriculture man, Hon. Steve Thomson
Minister of Agriculture and Lands
P.O. Box 9043 Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2
250-387-1023
steve.thomson.mla@leg.bc.ca

Thanks, everybody. A gathered effort cannot hurt and must be done. Please forward this to friends, farmers, consumer groups, Facebook groups, etc for maximum exposure. And please see http://www.farmfoodfreedomfighters.ca for free downloads of bumper stickers, buttons and more.

• The weekend fee is $125. This includes camping, some plant matter, tincture bottles etc, and some food, and loads of learning and experiental opportunities.
• There is a modest bus with sleeping platform and electricity for $15 a night and a camper for the same price. Friends or family can take in the beach, do some cycling or hang about the farm.
• Please let me know by August 5 if you would like to attend - I can send a PayPal invoice which also takes Mastercard and Visa. info@ediblelandscapes.ca
  

To potential and new organic food growers:

The Sustainable Microfarm Forum is coming to Courtenay!

Reduce our community’s dependence on off coast food sources

Sunday November 16, 2008 9:30 - 4:00

Improve your ability to market garden at this all-day intensive workshop. Participants will leave feeling better equipped and supported, with clearer ideas of the challenges that face them, and with better tools for moving ahead as food providers.

Location and Cost: Filberg Centre, Courtney $95 includes vegetarian lunch and refreshments

Register early! Phone Beth Mowat (250) 337-1958 or emailmorefoodnow@gmail.com. Some subsidies available.

Topics include: Water conservation techniques, stretching your harvest season, using microclimates, value-added pros and cons, skill sharing and much more.

Facilitated by Robin Wheeler of the Sustainable Living Arts School, Roberts Creek (slas.ca), owner of Edible Landscapes (ediblelandscapes.ca) , founder of the One Straw Society (onestraw.ca) , author of Food Security for the Faint of Heart and Gardening for the Faint of Heart.