September 11,2025
RED FM News Desk
Ranchers and meat processors in British Columbia are calling on the province to classify agriculture as an essential service, warning that an ongoing public service strike is threatening the industry.
Paul Devick, director of the BC Cattlemen’s Association, said in a letter to the province that the strike has halted work by agri-food inspectors in some areas, disrupting meat processing at slaughterhouses and negatively impacting ranchers and the broader agri-food sector.
He is urging the government to grant essential-service status to agriculture and related services to ensure continued access to meat inspection.
Premier David Eby said he agrees that agriculture should be considered an essential service, as it has been during past labour disputes, and that the government will return to the Labour Relations Board to make that request.
Eby emphasized that food supplies are unlikely to be affected since most B.C. slaughterhouses are federally inspected. He added that the main concern is animal welfare rather than food security, stating the goal is to prevent unnecessary suffering and allow farmers who rely on provincially inspected facilities to continue operating.
While Eby mentioned an interim process to keep facilities running, he did not provide details.
Devick noted that ranchers rely on selling and processing their products to sustain their operations, and that many slaughterhouses are family-run. He also highlighted the impact on youth involved in ranching, who plan to sell their beef projects at the upcoming BC Ag Expo. Many of these young participants use the proceeds to fund post-secondary education, and these sales are at risk if processing cannot occur.
The BC General Employees’ Union strike is now in its second week, with pickets at government offices and other sites in Victoria, Surrey, Prince George, Kamloops, and Kelowna. The union says more than 4,000 of roughly 34,000 B.C. public service members are participating in the strike.
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