Two Properties Available for Agriculture Development under Land Consolidation Program

  • Fisheries and Land Resources

October 4, 2019

The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources is accepting Requests for Proposals for two land consolidation properties currently available for agricultural development. The properties are located in Torbay on the Avalon Peninsula, and Highlands on the west coast, and total approximately 56 hectares of land available for long-term use through 50-year agriculture leases.

The Land Consolidation Program provides an opportunity for landowners and retiring farmers to sell farm land to the Provincial Government to make it available to existing commercial farmers, part-time farmers, or new entrants to the agriculture industry. Since 1986, the department has purchased 1,748.6 hectares of land through this process.

Details of the two properties and instructions on how to apply are located on the department’s website under Land for Agriculture. The deadline to apply for these areas is October 21, 2019. Further information on Crown land for agriculture can be found in the backgrounder below.

Increasing Crown Land for agriculture helps deliver on targets identified in The Way Forward and the Provincial Government’s Agriculture Sector Work Plan to increase food self-sufficiency by at least 20 per cent by 2022, and to double the number of people directly employed in the provincial agriculture sector. The Way Forward outlines all actions the Provincial Government is taking to achieve a strong, diversified province with a high standard of living, and can be viewed at thewayforward.gov.nl.ca.

Quote
“Ensuring that good, productive farm land is available for agriculture is a priority of the Provincial Government and part of our long-term commitment to ensuring the future growth and sustainability of Newfoundland and Labrador agriculture sector. We are committed to working with current farmers and new entrants to the industry to continue building our province’s agriculture sector and protecting valuable farmland for long-term agricultural use.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources

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Learn more
Land for Agriculture

Agriculture Land Consolidation Program

The Way Forward on Agriculture

Follow us on Twitter: @GovNL   and @FLR_GovNL

Media contact
Linda Skinner
Fisheries and Land Resources
709-637-2284, 632-8167
lindaskinner@gov.nl.ca

BACKGOUNDER

Information on Crown Land for Agriculture

The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources offers Crown Land for agriculture to ensure prime farm land is secured and protected.

Land categories include:

  • Agricultural Areas of Interest (AoIs);
  • Agriculture land returned to the Crown;
  • Farmland development projects; and
  • Agriculture land consolidation properties.

Fifty-nine Crown Land Areas of Interest totalling approximately 62,000 hectares have been identified for long-term exclusive agricultural use. Applicants interested in these properties follow a streamlined Request for Proposals (RFP) process for a 50-year Crown Land Agriculture Lease, unless otherwise indicated.

Notices are posted on the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources website as additional land is identified and made available. Farm plans are evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Commercial viability;
  • Applicant’s need for additional land;
  • Degree to which the additional land will improve the viability of the farm land;
  • Management and use of the applicant’s existing land base, if applicable;
  • Markets/quotas available to the farm;
  • Proximity of the land to the applicant’s farm, if applicable; and
  • Proposed management and use of additional land.
2019 10 04 2:40 pm