Reports & Guides
New Rules for BC Farms: What’s Changing and When
What changes for Vancouver Island farms from December 2026: piece rates, payroll, packaging, the new market guideline, meat trade and livestock ID tags.
10 min read
- Farms & producers
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Based in Victoria, BC
Sell what you grow
directly to Vancouver Island.
Connect with households and restaurants, and sell your produce, meat, eggs and more at your price — with no markups.
For farms, ranches and producers · No subscription — pay only when you sell
Quick check
Wondering if it fits? Ask.
Type what you grow, raise or make — or your kind of farm — and get a straight answer. No sign-up needed.
Try
Why we built this
We care about Island farms
Our mission is to improve the local food system: shorter supply chains, fairer prices for the people who grow the food, and more of every food dollar staying on the Island.
Farm partner (Coming soon)
OUR Ecovillage
Shawnigan Lake
A non-profit cooperative founded in 1999, and a regenerative living, learning and research centre rooted in permaculture and agro-ecology.
Selling
- Whole & half lamb
- Whole & half pork
- Chicken
- Apples, pears & quince
How it works
From your field to local tables in three steps
Features
Everything your farm needs to sell online
The business app
Run orders, stock and payouts from one app
Every tool is included for every farm — no plans to upgrade and no add-ons to buy.
Scan to pick
Scan each item as you pack an order — with your phone’s camera or a barcode scanner — so nothing gets missed.
Fulfilment calendar
Orders laid out by pickup and delivery date and flagged when due soon or overdue; customers get an email at each step.
Pack lists and labels
Print a pack list for your orders and an address label for every box.
Live stock counts
Stock drops with every sale and low stock is flagged; a product stops selling when you run out.
Spreadsheet import
Bring your whole catalogue in from a CSV file, and edit many products at once.
Daily payouts
Earnings go to your bank automatically every day, with statements and a sales-tax report ready to download.
Sales insights
Sales, top products and top customers, compared with the previous period.
Phone, tablet or computer
The app for the field and the barn, and the business portal for the office.
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Compare
How Local Pass compares
Local Pass is more than a storefront: it's the app Vancouver Island residents use to order takeout from local restaurants, with rideshare on the way — so your farm sits where people already shop for food.
| Feature | Local Pass | Local Line | Local Food Marketplace | Facebook Marketplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built to sell on Vancouver Island | Yes — made on the Island, for Island farms and shoppers | No — farm software for any region | No — US-based farm software | Local listings on a global platform |
| Shoppers already on the platform | Island households and restaurants | Wholesale buyers only — you bring your retail customers | You bring your own customers | Local buyers browsing |
| Cost | No subscription or add-ons — a small fee on each sale, $0 in the off-season | From $87 USD a month (billed annually), no commission; pausing off-season is $9 a month | From $129 a month, billed annually | Free |
| Sell meat, fish and eggs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not allowed under Meta’s commerce policies |
| Storefront with live stock counts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Single posts, no store |
| Pick and pack lists | Yes, with labels and barcode scanning included | Yes, with labels; barcode scanning is $29 a month extra on Core | Yes, with packing labels | No |
| Wholesale pricing for restaurants | Bulk prices and a shareable order sheet | Yes | Yes | No |
| Payments handled for you | Automatic daily payouts | Card processing 2.5–2.9% + $0.30 | Card and e-check payments | Arranged with each buyer |
| Delivery, shipping and pickup | Local Pass drivers or your own delivery, plus shipping and pickup points | Your own delivery and pickup, with route tools | Your own delivery and pickup, with route tools | Arranged with each buyer |
| Your own branded web store | Your storefront lives on Local Pass | Yes, e.g. shop.yourfarm.com | Yes, branded to your farm | No |
| CSA subscriptions | Coming soon | Yes; $29 a month extra on the Core plan | Yes, as a paid add-on | No |
On the way
Coming soon for producers
Coming soon
Shared buying
Buyers team up to purchase a whole animal or a large bulk lot together — a side of beef, a whole lamb, a bin of apples — so you sell it in one order instead of breaking it down.
Coming soon
CSA subscriptions
Run your CSA through your storefront. Until then, you can already sell recurring boxes as regular products.
Get started
Apply to join
Tell us about your farm and we'll be in touch within one business day.
Dmitriy Kuleshov
Co-founder of Local Pass
Rather talk first?
I'd like to hear about your farm — what you grow, how you sell today, and what would make Local Pass worth your time. Send me a note and I'll get back to you.
FAQ
Questions farmers ask
What can I sell on Local Pass?
Most things you grow, raise or make: vegetables, fruit and berries, eggs, meat and poultry, dairy, honey, herbs, mushrooms, microgreens, grains and flour, nuts, maple syrup, fish and seafood, baked goods, preserves, juice, wine and cider, coffee and tea, prepared meals and pet food. Raw milk, cannabis and tobacco are the exceptions.
What does it cost a farm to sell on Local Pass?
There is no subscription and no setup or listing fees — just a small fee on each sale, which supports the platform’s growth.
Can I pause my store in the off-season?
Yes, and it costs nothing. When your season ends, set your store to Closed from your dashboard — your products and data stay safe until you reopen.
How long does it take to get set up?
Under ten minutes, and most businesses go live the same day.
Can I sell meat?
Yes — sell anything from single cuts to whole and half animals, and whole-animal sales get easier still when shared buying arrives.
How is Local Pass different from Local Line or Local Food Marketplace?
Local Line and Local Food Marketplace are subscription software for running your own farm web store, and finding retail customers is up to you. Local Pass is a marketplace inside a local food app, with no subscription, and Island shoppers and restaurants are already there. You can use it alongside either.
Why not just sell on Facebook Marketplace?
It is free, but Meta’s commerce policies do not allow raw meat, fish or eggs — and every sale is a message thread and a meetup, with no store or payments built in.
Do I have to give up my farm gate, market stall or CSA?
No. There is no exclusivity and no minimum. Your farm gate, market stall, CSA members and wholesale accounts carry on exactly as they are — Local Pass is an additional channel, not a replacement.
