Brewery launches online petition to change agricultural land use rules

GIBSONS (NEWS 1130) – They just want a level playing field. Some brewers on the Sunshine Coast have launched an online petition in the hopes of changing agricultural land use rules so they can stay open.

Right now, the Persephone Brewing Company is required to grow 50 per cent of its main ingredient, barley, on the farm where its beer is brewed.

“And that’s just not feasible,” explains Brian Smith, Persephone co-owner and CEO. “So we went through the steps of applying non-farm use application which was denied.”

Persephone wants the rules changed so breweries enjoy the same rules as wineries and cideries.

“They have to grow 50 per cent of the ingredients, or, purchase it from a BC farm and we’re quite capable of doing that,” Smith adds. “You know, we are a farm and it isn’t just about us, it’s about anybody who wanted to build a brewery or a distillery or a meadery on ALR land.”

The Agricultural Land Commission ruled Persephone has two years to come into compliance and if it doesn’t, it must move or close.

“There is a potential of a loss of a lot of jobs, a lot of dollars going into our local economy, and good use of agricultural land,” warns Smith.

Persephone is more than just a brewery, it’s an 11-acre farm and social enterprise. It is co-owned by the Sunshine Coast Association For Community Living and employs workers with developmental disabilities.

Another co-owner is Mark Brand, who runs the Save On Meats diner, a similar social enterprise on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

You can sign the petition here.

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