The government of British Columbia is taking action to ensure tree fruit growers are compensated following the shutdown of a cooperative that functioned for nearly 90 years.
The Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC is reallocating approximately $4 million in provincial funds to pay co-op members for previous harvests. This initiative comes in the wake of the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative filing for creditor protection, which had been supporting 230 member farms by processing, storing, packaging, and selling their fruit.
The cooperative announced its closure in July, disclosing over $58 million in liabilities. Additionally, the province has allocated $100,000 to the BC Fruit Growers Association to support food-safety certification, a service previously managed by the co-op.
Source: CityNews Everywhere