The provincial government recently announced changes to the cumbersome and restrictive regulations surrounding livestock slaughter. The Small-Scale Meat Producers Association (SSMPA), a non-profit society which represents farmers and ranchers in the province who don’t raise meat animals in a conventional or industrial system, has lobbied the province for several years for more options as it has become almost impossible to have animals legally slaughtered in a timely manner under the current system. The province, it seems, may have finally heard the pleas of these producers, who are integral to food production and food security in BC. In a meeting with Ministry of Agriculture staff on March 25, 2021, SSMPA was informed that there are new policies in the works that would increase slaughter options and also remove some marketing limitations.