By : Alison Chave.
Imagine finding your dream country property: a beautiful 10-acre site. You love the location and are ready to make an offer. Then you discover that you may need permission from Quebec’s agricultural protection commission (CPTAQ) before you can buy it.
What has changed?
Law 86, the Loi visant à assurer la pérennité du territoire agricole et sa vitalité, introduced in March 2025, requires purchasers who are not registered as an agricultural operator by the Ministère de l’agriculture, des pêcheries et de l’alimentation (MAPAQ) to obtain permission to acquire agricultural land of four hectares (about 10 acres) or more, within 1,000 metres of an urbanized perimeter in designated MRCs, including Brome-Missisquoi and Memphrémagog. This affects portions of Town of Brome-Lake, West Bolton and the entire territory of Brome Village.
Protecting farmland—or changing its value?
Buried deep within Law 86, the heightened scrutiny measures for non-agricultural purchasers (Article 79.0.6) have only recently attracted attention. TBL Mayor Lee Patterson and Sutton Mayor Robert Benoit have begun discussions with the MRC and Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) about the legislation’s scope and impacts.
Law 86 aims to protect agricultural land, discourage speculation and keep farmland accessible to farmers. But in communities in our area —where farms, forests, country homes and recreational properties coexist—the rules are creating uncertainty.
“Purchasers are backing out of buying properties caught by the new rules because very few are willing to become MAPAQ-registered agricultural operators,” said Réginald Gauthier of local realtor Coldbrook.
Based on the limited number of transactions Gauthier has seen since 2025, affected properties have experienced value reductions of approximately 5% to 10%. He reports that he is aware that more than 30 requests have been made to the CPTAQ by non-agricultural purchasers – and all have been rejected, resulting in failed transactions. A review by UPA of CTPAQ decisions for article 79 confirms the latter “is less favourable when agriculture is merely secondary to a residential use.”
But the new rules are not only about who can purchase. The UPA notes that they are also intended to curb rising farmland prices and, in regions where prices are particularly high, contribute to lowering them. Emerging decisions show that purchase price can influence whether an acquisition is authorized. While there is no standardized benchmark, the CPTAQ uses data from La Financière agricole du Québec (FADQ) and other sources to assess whether a proposed price could contribute to higher agricultural land values.
What does this mean?
Anyone buying or selling a potentially affected property should work with professionals familiar with the legislation. This is more than a bureaucratic hurdle: an acquisition made in contravention of Article 79.0.6 can be annulled by the Superior Court.
Law 86 was designed to protect farmland. In Town of Brome Lake and surrounding communities, however, it may also change who can buy, who can sell—and what some country properties are worth.
Check whether your property is affected
You can check whether your property is in the affected area by going to https://demeter.cptaq.gouv.qc.ca/
- In Rechercher localisation, use your lot number or civic address.
- Click on the map logo (top of list on the left side bar).
- Click on the « eye » next to Rayon de 1000 m périmètre d’urbanisation (PU) to see the affected area (hatched).