BC’s Livestock Fencing Program will enjoy five more years.
“This was so evident the partnership last year during the fires when we were able to get out and replace those highway fences so quick to get the traffic back out and going,” says BC Cattlemen’s Association (BCCA) general manager Kevin Boon.
“It’s really a big safety issue for us as well.”
Cattle fatalities by road and rail incidents according to the BCCA Â have steadily decreased in the last seven years from 92 in 2011, to 21 in 2017.
The BCCA will continue to administer the program by taking applications from livestock owners who are seeking assistance to build fences adjacent to the highway
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrasture said in a news release that $16 million has been invested in the program since it launched in 2010 and that the 5-year extension is supported under the $46-million safety improvement section of Budget 2018.
As of this spring, more than 900 kilometres of livestock fencing will have been built along B.C. highways.