FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30, 2025

MLA Matt MacFarlane’s bill to protect farmland passes second reading

Charlottetown, PE – Today in the legislature, a Green bill to help protect farmland on PEI passed second reading. The bill, tabled by MLA Matt MacFarlane, Third Party Critic for Agriculture, aims to help keep this precious resource available to future generations of farmers while ensuring that farmers retain control over their land.

“I am thrilled this bill received support from my colleagues in the legislature. We must do everything we can to help protect farmland on PEI, something we are losing at an alarming rate,” said MacFarlane. “We need real action and leadership on this file, and I’m happy to have the support of the House on this important change.”

The bill, which is an amendment to the Planning Act, will introduce protections for agricultural land to ensure the long term viability of the agricultural sector on PEI while balancing the rights of farmers.

“In the absence of a land use plan, which we desperately need, this bill provides increased protection to our Island’s farmland,” said MacFarlane. “While we wait for the land use plan, this is a simple and clear solution to provide protections for land.”

The Green caucus will continue to advocate for better protection of land on PEI, recognizing the important role farmland plays in the local and global economy, food security, environmental sustainability and the ability to produce our own products.

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For media inquiries, please contact:
Katie Rankin
Chief of Staff
Office of the Third Party
Tel: (902) 213-6378
Email: kerankin@assembly.pe.ca