(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

The owners of a North Okanagan cattle ranch have been charged for allegedly ignoring a contentious irrigation ban that saw farmers go head-to-head with government officials in the summer of 2023.

One Plus Cattle Co. owners Erik and Gaylene Buff had their first court appearance Thursday, Feb. 6, each facing two charges of contravening a fish population protection order and interfering with the duties of an environment inspection officer.

The charges date back to August 2023, when many farmers and ranchers in the Westwold area were at loggerheads with the province over an irrigation ban.

The ban came into place because drought had caused water levels in the Salmon River to drop dramatically which affected the Thompson River Chinook salmon. While the farmers didn't pull water directly from the river, the province said wells in the area were connected to it.

Farmers said the irrigation ban would cost them millions.

The province barred farms that grow food for livestock from irrigating their crops from Aug. 15 to Sept. 30 that year.

It affected almost 400 water licensees, and farmers were ticketed for ignoring the order. At the time, the province wouldn't say how many tickets it had issued or what the fines were.

It appears the Buffs and their ranch are the only people to have been taken to court over the matter. They've been charged under the Water Sustainability Act, which states that fines can be up to $1-million and a year in prison.

"My family has been farming and irrigating since 1970. Never has there been this level of irrigation curtailments by the government. By this decision being made without any consultation from the agricultural community, it has been crippling," Erik and Gaylene Bluff told iNFOnews.ca in the summer of 2023.

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That year, the couple's lawyer, Joe Killoran, said farmers hadn't gotten answers from the Ministry of Forests when it was asked to explain the science behind its order.

Provincial government records show the couple's cattle ranch was visited at least seven times in August 2023 so Natural Resource Officers could make sure the ranchers weren't irrigating their crops. A search warrant was issued and inspectors were joined by the RCMP.

The dispute between the farmers and the government department quickly became political, with then BC United leader Kevin Falcon taking the time to head to Westwold and have a meeting in the community hall with those affected and local MLAs.

The Buffs will be back in court in March.

None of the charges have been proven in court.

The Buff's lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

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