Support lining up for B.C. fruit growers in wake of co-op closure [Video]

Kelowna’s mayor said the city has worked out a deal to help area farmers struggling to get their fruit to market in the wake of the BC Tree Fruit Cooperative closing.

“The city will assist the fruit growing industry by entering into an arrangement with Sandher Fruit Packing for wash water disposal on a limited-term basis while they work through their provincial approval for a longer-term solution,” Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas said in a statement.

Dyas said the arrangement supports the local fruit-growing economy and local farmers, “while addressing the concerns of the surrounding community and adds further measures to ensure the protection of the natural environment.”

Sandher Fruit Packers in the Ellison area east of Kelowna has been dealt more than $110,000 in fines since 2022 for discharging effluent into a failed septic field and it has been cited as an ongoing issue.

Sandher was given six months to …