Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced Wednesday that new regulations will update Manitoba’s approach to managing agricultural crown lands

The goal is to ensure compliance with the New West Partnership Trade Agreement and to provide more transparency to farmers and ranchers.

“Signing onto the New West Partnership was a priority for our government and we proudly delivered on that immediately after taking office,” said Eichler.  “Modernizing access to agricultural Crown lands helps fulfill our commitment to this agreement by modernizing the way these lands are allocated and providing greater transparency.  We look forward to refining these changes in consultation with our producers.”

The new Agricultural Crown Lands Leases and Permits Regulation will amalgamate two separate regulations related to forage leases, hay and grazing permits, and cropping leases.

It will change how producers will acquire crown lands for grazing and haying from the current model to a new tendering system.

This will be consistent with how agricultural crown land is accessed for other uses, like growing crops, and will ensure prices paid by producers more accurately reflect the market value of these leases and permits.

Eichler noted industry consultations will be held in the coming year, with the shift to a tendering system for all agricultural crown lands expected to be in place for fall 2018.