The series consists of records created by the Aquaculture and Commercial Fisheries Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture from 1982 to 2010. The records contain information on seafood production and statistics required by the Fisheries Act and include correspondence, memoranda, reports and government publications.
The series also includes files related to licensing, commercial fisheries, fish production, land and resource use and water quality.
The records have been classified under the Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

This series consists of records of the Natural Products Marketing Act Commission, 1941-1943. This unit consists of commission correspondence, vouchers, copy of the letters patent appointing the commissioner, transcripts of proceedings, index of exhibits, exhibits and original signed report in which he recommended sweeping changes in the organization and operation of the Provincial Marketing Board and the B.C. Coast Vegetable Marketing Board.

The series consists of development program files created by the Industry Organizations Development Branch and the Resource Management Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, and its predecessor body Financial Development Programs Branch, from 1990 to 2001. The files include policy and procedures; final reports, some illustrated with photographs; correspondence; and memoranda and studies relating to various economic development programs including:

Canada-British Columbia Agreement on the Agriculture Component of the Green Plan, established to assist the agri-food sector to strive toward environmental sustainability and socio-economic viability;

Canada-British Columbia Farm Business Management Agreement, a program of conditional grants to develop and facilitate the upgrading of the business management skills of B.C. farm managers;

Partners in Progress program, conditional grants to members of the agriculture, fisheries and food industries to form partnerships to act on and develop new ideas and ways of dealing with increasing competition of world markets;

Fisheries Development and Diversification Program (FDDP), established to provide assistance to the commercial fishing industry by stimulating and encouraging the development of scientific research and seafood products, and the application of technology;

Soil Conservation program, a program to accelerate the adoption of environmentally sustainable agricultural production systems to reduce water pollution and soil erosion.

Intermingled within the files, there are eight VHS videocassettes, fourteen 3 1/2 inch floppy disks, three CD-ROM disks and four objects including a cloth bag, two plastic lids and a plastic bag.

The records have been classified under the Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Operational Records Classification System (ORCS) as:
24200-60: Green plan project final reports.
24500-60: Farm business management final reports.
24600-60: FDDP final reports.
24900-60: Partners in Progress final reports.
25200-60: Soil Conservation project final reports.

The series consists of records created by the Food Industry Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, and its predecessor bodies, from 1990 to 2002.
Records include committee files created by the Branch between 1990 and 1996 as well as other administrative files relating to meetings and executive correspondence. These records were classified under the Administrative Records Classifications System (ARCS).
Records also include those that relate to the food industry market development program known as Buy BC, including policy records and partnership program final reports, from 2000 to 2002 classified under the Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

CALL NUMBER: T2690:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Jim Hewitt : On Auditor General and soil conservation RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977-05-03 & 1977-06-14 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Agriculture Minister Jim Hewitt announces the appointment of Mrs. Erma Morrison as Auditor-General for BC, 3 May 1977. TRACK 2: Hewitt announces changes in government policy with respect to soil conservation, 14 June 1977. CALL NUMBER: T2690:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Jim Hewitt : On sale of Swan Valley Foods RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977-04-19 & 1977-06-29 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: At a press conference, Agriculture Minister Jim Hewitt explains the sale of the Creston operations of Swan Valley Foods, 19 April 1977. TRACK 2: Hewitt explains the Swan Valley Foods Debenture Purchase Act, 29 June 1977. CALL NUMBER: T2690:0003 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Jim Hewitt : On plans to sell Swan Valley Foods ; Stupich reaction RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977-08-29 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Agriculture Minister James Hewitt announces plans to sell the Richmond plant of Swan Valley Foods Ltd. to Standard Brands of Canada, pending approval from the Foreign Investment Review Agency of the federal government. Hewitt estimates that the government's losses on the disposal of all Swan Valley operations will be eight million dollars. Former Agriculture minister Dave Stupich (NDP Nanaimo) says the sale is very unfortunate for British Columbia, 29 August 1977. [TRACK 2: blank.]

The file consists of one journal documenting daily deliveries for M.R. Smith & Co. between January 8, 1863 and June 30, 1864. Deliveries are predominantly to naval ships in Esquimalt and entries include the name of the ship or customer and the quantity of loaves of bread or other baked goods being delivered.

The file also consists of one-page letter to William Smith in Bedfordshire England from his son, Philip R. Smith, in Douglas, B.C., dated April 1860.

This series consists of cabinet and Treasury Board submission records from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and its predecessors from 1987-1999. Cabinet, also known as the Executive Council, sets priority issues for government, approves policies set by ministries and approves the regulations and orders-in-council that flesh out the generalized language of laws passed in the Legislative Assembly. These are records leading to the preparation of cabinet submissions by the ministry and document the development of information that goes before Cabinet or that is used in developing a Cabinet submission.

Files regard a variety of topics related to agriculture, food production, food distribution, and fisheries. Some topics include: loans and financial assistance for farmers and food producers; development of food industries, including wine; aquaculture and fisheries issues; agriculture policies; use of agricultural land reserves for golf courses; export, trade and treaty negotiations with the US for products such as salmon; Indigenous involvement in fisheries and Nisga’a fisheries negotiation; and environmental issues such as soil conservation and droughts. First Nations mentioned in these records include the Sto-lo Nation, Musquem, Tsawwassen First Nation, Nat’oot’en, Gitxsan, Wet’suwet’en, Gitanyow, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Tk’emlúps (Kamloops Indian Band) and Nisga’a Lisims Government.

Cabinet records include cabinet submissions, correspondence, financial records, Treasury Board financial impact assessments, notes, reports, drafts, briefing notes, presentations, records of decision, order in councils, requests for legislation and background information providing context to submissions.

The Ministries responsible for these records over the years are:
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (1986-1991)
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1991-1998)
Ministry of Agriculture and Food (1998-2000)

These records are classified as ARCS number 201-40 and 1250-20.

The series consists of regulated marketing policy development files created by Trade Competition Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (and its predecessor bodies), from 1988 to 2003. The files include correspondence, memoranda, reports and studies from local and other jurisdictions, relating to regulated marketing policy development issues in British Columbia. Regulated marketing issues include regulated pricing, quota allocation policy and exceptions to regulated marketing. In addition there are some trade competitiveness issue files related to food issues and international trade agreements.

The records have been classified under the Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Operational Records Classification System (ORCS) as
44100-00: Policy and procedures.
44100-03: Quota allocation policy development.
44100-20: Regulated marketing policy development issues.
46100-20: Trade Competitiveness issues.
46200-20: International agri-food trade issue.
46200-40: International trade agreements.

This series consists of a Department of Agriculture scrapbook detailing the efforts of the Department's Food Information Service to promote British Columbia agricultural products, 1974.

This series consists of reports, working papers, and records used in the creation of final reports for the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture from primarily 1977-1978.

In April 1977 the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture led an investigation into the state of the province’s food industry, including an extensive research program to create detailed reports on the status of several food industries in the province, including production, processing and distribution of food products in the province. This included three phases of research:

I. The inventory and suitability of agricultural land; supply and demand for agricultural land and associated impact of land prices on food cost
II. Comparing production costs to neighboring regions; impact of marketing boards on farmer income and consumer cost
III. The cost factors, structure and performance of processing, wholesaling and retailing

The committee had its own research staff responsible for creating their final reports and created a variety of records in the process of researching and writing these reports.

Records include graphs, reports, tables, data, notes, drafts, surveys, correspondence, copies of legislation, marketing board annual reports, instructional manuals for computer systems and recording data, computer data print outs, and other reference materials used in creating reports. Records may be created by the committee or submitted to the committee from various industry groups for informational purposes.

Records address topics such as: the state of various livestock and other agricultural industries; creating a farm financial analysis system to process data; economic expansion and business practices of the food industry; consumer studies; results and impacts of government aid and legislation on farmers; marketing boards and farmer’s co-operatives for different food items and how they operate; and farming practices in various industries. Various food related industries are studied including: fish, dairy, eggs, meat, vegetables, grains, baking, and retail outlets.

These records are classified under Administrative Records Classification System number 201-01 (ARCS schedule 10001).

The series consists of trade issues and agreement files created by Trade Competition Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (and its predecessor bodies), from 1986 to 2001 and includes some earlier files from 1978 to 1986. The files include correspondence, memoranda and reports relating to international and interprovincial trade issues and their impact on B.C.'s agriculture, fisheries and food industries, impact assessment and development of industry strategies. In addition there are policy development files regarding foreign and international trade laws and agreements, notably GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). There is also a single file documenting an inter-ministry agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and the Ministry of Transportation and Highways regarding FOI and records management services.

The records have been classified under the Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Operational Records Classification System (ORCS) as
46200-20: International agri-food trade issues.
46200-30: International fisheries trade issues, including driftnet fishing, international catch sharing arrangements, unprocessed fish exports etc.
46200-40: International trade agreements, includes the impact of trade agreements on B.C.'s agriculture, fisheries and food industries.
46200-50: International trade reports and studies.
46300-20: Interprovincial agri-food trade issues.
46300-40: Interprovincial trade reports and studies.
and under the Administrative Records Classification System (ARCS)
151-25: Approved inter-ministry and inter-agency agreements.