The BCBA has been lobbying the BC government for close to 30 years to have bison designated as livestock to match other provinces and states.We had been the only province to have bison referred to as “game” however Quebec has recently changed its designation of bison to become game after having been considered livestock. This occurred in 2018 in response to issues with other exotic species.
The BCBA is of the opinion that designation of bison should be consistent with other jurisdictions and legislation.Language in BC legislation confuses the issue by referring to bison as both game and livestock while Federal legislation refers to bison as livestock.BC Bison produces are subjected to additional fees and mandatory reporting that other livestock producers do not have submit.
In discussions with the BC Government this year, BC Agriculture has agreed to review recent trends in agriculture legislation in order to bring consistency into bison nomenclature while reducing redundant regulations where possible.
At this time, the BCBC has not received any further comments from the BC Government.
