Crops or warehouses? Public hearing to decide fate of Surrey farmland
Posted January 23, 2023 12:44 pm.
Last Updated January 23, 2023 12:48 pm.
A swathe of farmland in Surrey close to the Langley border will be the subject of a public hearing on Monday night to decide its future.
The land is owned by the federal government, which intends to zone it into an industrial area once its lease with Heppell’s Potatoes is up.
In the summer of 2022, a petition was started by a group of local farmers and residents calling on B.C.’s Provincial Agricultural Land Commission to include the 300-acre parcel in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). Such a move would maintain the land for agricultural use for years to come.
Read More: Surrey potato farmers worry land could be turned into warehouses
In addition to the petition, Tyler Heppell with Heppell’s Potatoes has been vocal on social media, namely TikTok. His account has amassed over 390,000 followers since last summer.
@heppellspotato An update on the unique farmland: The Agricultural Land Commission is going to hold a public hearing and determine whether or not to include the farmland into BCs Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR)! The hearing will be on Jan 23. The farmland produces much of our domestic veggies in the early summer and is vulnerable to industrial development. Do you think it should be safeguarded for food production? @Potato Ty #vancouver #food #potatoes #carrots #canadian #country
Through his channel, Heppell has indicated that his family has been using the land on 192 Street near 36 Avenue for over 100 years, supplying millions of potatoes, squash, and other vegetables every year.
According to the farm’s website, about 70 per cent of B.C.’s domestic potatoes were produced from the Surrey farmland last year.
A public hearing is being held Monday evening by the Agricultural Land Commission to hear from those impacted by the decision.
“Given the longstanding agricultural use and productivity of the properties, the Commission considers that the lands may be suitable for inclusion to the ALR,” the commission said.
Dozens of people have written to the commission voicing their support of keeping the area as farmland.
The hearing will be held at the KPU Langley Campus Auditorium at 7 p.m.
-With files from Dean Recksiedler
