Milk Pickup:
We continue to be challenged in all regions in the province. Please read below for the up-to-date status for your region. We understand the challenge of the unknown many producers are feeling while we attempt to recover. Please understand our transporters and BC MILK staff are working at all hours to get your milk picked up, but we cannot yet feasibly pickup all farms due to flooding, roadways, and resource constraints. The status of highways continues to change every day.
The following regions of the province are still affected as follows:
- Producers in Abbotsford that fall into the Sumas Prairie Boil Water Advisory, Please follow direction for water testing from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. We can only pick up your milk if you are following their water testing protocols with clean potable water. Please contact Erin Cuthbert Erin.Cuthbert@gov.bc.ca if you have any questions about the water testing procedure. Fraser Analytics in Abbotsford is available to perform water tests, including over the weekend.
- Producers in Chilliwack, producers are now scheduled to be picked up and back on their normal schedule, although there may be delays. Roadways are still volatile, and this could change. Some routes may miss pickups and those producers will be contacted.
- Producers in Agassiz East of the Woodside Mudslide, All producers are now scheduled to be picked up and back on their normal schedule, although there may be delays. Roadways are still volatile, and this could change. Some routes may miss pickups and those producers will be contacted.
- Producers in the Creston/Kootenays will have continued pickup as we can deliver to Alberta. This may switch to deliveries in the Lower Mainland at some point but is dependent on highway conditions.
- Producers on Vancouver Island will have continued pickup, with limited disruption.
For producers in this region, we ask for your continued patience. Some limited access through Highway 3 has opened a channel between the interior and the lower mainland but has not yet solved all our transportation challenges. This access is a large detour and has heavy traffic and long delays. We expect we will see further disruption to this roadway in the coming days and weeks.
- Producers in the BC Interior, normal pickup will resume today as highway 3 opened late yesterday afternoon. The organic producers in the region will also be back on pickup schedule today.
- Producers in Prince George/Bulkley Valley/Smithers. The current plan is to begin pickup of all milk in this region on Thursday December 2nd but is still pending highway conditions and feasibility.
If you have questions related to your farm, the impact on quota, quality, transport, or finances, BC MILK staff directory can be found here: BC Staff Members