Farm Building Code to be Updated
CANADA - Canadian farming is undergoing a radical transformation as small farms are being replaced by large and sophisticated operations designed and run like industrial facilities. Regulatory requirements pertaining to these increasingly complex farm buildings, however, have not kept pace.
8 February 2013
3 minute read
The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire
Codes (CCBFC) has therefore made it a priority
to update the requirements of the National
Farm Building Code of Canada (NFBC), last
published in 1995. This decision is supported by
the Provincial/Territorial Policy Advisory Committee
on Codes (PTPACC) and the Canadian
Farm Builders’ Association.
A joint CCBFC/PTPACC Task Group reviewed
the key issues associated with the changing
nature and scale of farm building operations
and recommended a course of action. The task
group submitted its report to the CCBFC’s annual
meeting in June 2012. The CCBFC is now
awaiting comment from the provinces and territories
before voting on the recommendations.
The report recommends splitting requirements between
small and large farm buildings, with "small"
being defined as having less than 600 square
metres of building area and not more than three
storeys. It also recommends the creation of a separate
occupancy classification for farm buildings,
with sub-categories based on suggested criteria.
No new objectives are proposed specifically for
farm buildings, as the general ones in the National
Model Construction Codes remain appropriate and
can be linked to updated farm building requirements.
Energy efficiency and water use efficiency
requirements will not be developed at this time.
In response to an independent request that
a new objective be created for the protection
of animals in farm buildings, the task group
recommended that this be considered using the
CCBFC’s standard protocol for determining the
need for new objectives.
Given the multidisciplinary nature of the
technical requirements for farm buildings, the
report recommends establishing a coordinating
committee to oversee the work. Members
would be selected from the CCBFC’s standing
committees based on their expertise.
The task group recommends a flexible
approach for farm building regulation that
enables the provinces and territories to easily
opt out of adopting the requirements, should
they so choose.
For more information, contact Cathy Taraschuk
at [email protected] or 613-
993-0049.
