Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick says reforesting farmland in B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Interior is contrary to the intent of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 agricultural land reserve, and heB次元官网网址檚 looking for a way to put a stop to it.

British health and household products manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser Inc. has bought up more than 8,000 hectares of farmland from Prince George south to Quesnel, planting the land with trees and vowing to keep the forest on the land for 100 years or more. Local governments are concerned that long-time farming and ranching land is being lost, and farming communities will be weakened as a result.

Letnick said previously that a 2011 requirement for the Agricultural Land Commission to approve covenants for long-term reforestation of farmland would be required before such lands could be used as carbon offsets for the European carbon market. But a Reckitt Benckiser  spokesperson confirmed the company isnB次元官网网址檛 attempting to claim or trade carbon offsets, so it wonB次元官网网址檛 be seeking a covenant from the ALC.

That leaves Letnick looking for another way to stop the loss of farmland.

B次元官网网址淲hat IB次元官网网址檝e been advised is that while theyB次元官网网址檙e not claiming for offsets, theyB次元官网网址檙e using it in their publicity to show that they are doing something thatB次元官网网址檚 environmentally good to offset the negatives that they have back at home,B次元官网网址� Letnick said in an interview Monday.

The companyB次元官网网址檚 stated plan to keep the farmland in forest B次元官网网址渇lies in the face of the [Agricultural Land Commission] Act and the intent of the act, and we will need to look at our options,B次元官网网址� Letnick added.

According to Reckitt BenckiserB次元官网网址檚 , the companyB次元官网网址檚 B.C. planting project is part of a program to make its global operations carbon neutral for the period 2006-2017. More than seven million trees have been planted and the goal is 10 million trees by next year.

Staff at the Bulkley Valley Regional District contacted Reckitt Benckiser after its first purchase of lands around Vanderhoof in 2010, expressing concern about B次元官网网址渃entrally located and productiveB次元官网网址� land being alienated from production. A company representative said only marginal or abandoned land is being used, a claim contradicted last week by Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson.

The company makes popular products including Woolite fabric softener, Calgon detergent, Lysol and Clearasil skin cleanser, which are sold around the world. Its B.C. program is called RB Trees for Change.

B次元官网网址淩B does not intend on registering any covenant on title to the lands it has acquired in British Columbia that would restrict the use of such lands,B次元官网网址� said Lynn Kenney, communications director for North America. B次元官网网址淚nstead, Trees for Change is a program we have developed to meet our own internal targets for environmental sustainability.B次元官网网址�