Ag workers exempt from B.C. travel restrictions

Apr 29, 2021

Workers may want to have documentation on hand to be safe, an industry group said

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Migrant workers employed by British Columbia farms are exempt from provincial travel restrictions.

The provincial government announced on April 23 that non-essential travel between three regions (Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, Northern/Interior and Vancouver Island) is prohibited until May 25.

Non-essential travel includes tourism activities, social gatherings or family visits. People found out of compliance with these rules could receive a $575 fine.

Farm workers, however, are allowed to travel between these regions.

B.C. receives about 12,000 international workers each year who work in the province’s ag sector.

Each of those workers will be allowed to travel to their place of employment, said Reg Ens, executive director of the British Columbia Agriculture Council (BCAC).

“We confirmed (with the provincial government) that this exemption is for anyone working,” he told Farms.com. “We just wanted to make sure that when the workers get onto the buses we arrange that they’ll be permitted to travel to their farms.”

Not all temporary foreign workers travel on buses organized by the BCAC.

In those cases, Ens recommends workers and employers have proper documentation should they run into any issues, especially with the government indicating it may set up road checks along travel corridors.

“We don’t know what these checks are going to look like,” Ens said. “But if I’m a farmer and I arranged to pick up my workers myself, having the proper paperwork to show why I’m traveling isn’t a bad idea.

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.