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Originally published:

DECEMBER 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 12

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Stories In This Edition

Parties unite on trespass legislation

Protesters rally at Ag Day

Got milk?

Peace faces worst grain harvest in 30+years

Editorial: Light in darkness

Back Forty: The West is packing its bags. Does Ottawa care?

Farmers’ passion for the land is strong

Ranchers voice ALR concerns at public meetings

Chefs, farmers foster new relationships

Sidebar: VFM Direct shuts down

Summerland grower steps up as co-op president

Recommendations from report nearly fully implemented

Food and beverage innovation centre launched

Japanese beetle control an industry priority

Langley farmers launch local farmers’ institute

BC agritech attracting major partners

New dam safety information flows

Bee-utiful

No-till takes centre stage at field day

Students showcase on-farm research projects

Emergency plans top agenda for bison ranchers

Rad

Regulatory issues top concerns for cattlemen

Processing adds value to Cowichan farm

Mentorship network helps new farmers

Research: Gene-editing eliminates horns in dariy bulls

Preserving owl, bat habitat is good for farming

Sidebar: Better bait

Seed app helps producers grow research data

Cannabis class wins high marks at BC fairs

Cannabis growers square off against diseases, pests

Pear-fect

Sidebar: Breaking the mold

Fine-tune feeding for healthier lambs

Farm Story: Performance anxiety knows no boundaries

Island AgSafe consultant changes gears

Woodshed: Intrigue deepens as barn repairs take shape

Century Farm award honours historic milestone

Jude’s Kitchen: So much to celebrate

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1 month ago

The province has extended the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program deadline from June 1 to Aug. 31. The program helps farmers cover uninsured expenses caused by damages in the November 2021 floods, including cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, and water and waste systems; returning flood-affected land and buildings to a safe state for agricultural production; repairing uninsurable essential farm infrastructure; repairing structures such as livestock-containment fences; renting temporary production facilities; installing drainage ditches and land-stabilization materials; animal welfare activities such as replacing feed, transporting livestock, veterinary care and mortality disposal; and
replacing perennial plants not grown for sale. Program criteria and application forms are available online: buff.ly/3sVRF4G
... See MoreSee Less

The province has extended the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program deadline from June 1 to Aug. 31. The program helps farmers cover uninsured expenses caused by damages in the November 2021 floods, including cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, and water and waste systems; returning flood-affected land and buildings to a safe state for agricultural production;  repairing uninsurable essential farm infrastructure; repairing structures such as livestock-containment fences; renting temporary production facilities; installing drainage ditches and land-stabilization materials; animal welfare activities such as replacing feed, transporting livestock, veterinary care and mortality disposal; and
replacing perennial plants not grown for sale. Program criteria and application forms are available online: https://buff.ly/3sVRF4G
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1 month ago

A turkey farm in West Abbotsford is the second commercial poultry flock to tested positive for avian influenza since the initial case was reported in Enderby on April 13. CFIA announced the case May 19, but has yet to define the control zone. Ray Nickel of the BC Poultry Association says more than 50 farms are in the vicinity of the infected premises, meaning control measures — including movement controls — will have a significant impact on the industry. The supply of birds moving into the country from US hatcheries will also be affected, compounding the host of supply chain issues growers have been dealing with over the past year. A story in our June issue will provide further details. ... See MoreSee Less

A turkey farm in West Abbotsford is the second commercial poultry flock to tested positive for avian influenza since the initial case was reported in Enderby on April 13. CFIA announced the case May 19, but has yet to define the control zone. Ray Nickel of the BC Poultry Association says more than 50 farms are in the vicinity of the infected premises, meaning control measures — including movement controls — will have a significant impact on the industry. The supply of birds moving into the country from US hatcheries will also be affected, compounding the host of supply chain issues growers have been dealing with over the past year. A story in our June issue will provide further details.
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2 months ago

The province has extended the order requiring regulated commercial poultry operations to keep their birds indoors through June 13. Originally set to expire this Friday, the order was extended after a careful review by the province's deputy chief veterinarian. Poultry at seven premises, all but one of them backyard flocks, have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza since April 13. The order allows small-scale producers to continue pasturing their birds outdoors provided biosecurity protocols developed by the Small-Scale Meat producers Association are followed. ... See MoreSee Less

The province has extended the order requiring regulated commercial poultry operations to keep their birds indoors through June 13. Originally set to expire this Friday, the order was extended after a careful review by the provinces deputy chief veterinarian. Poultry at seven premises, all but one of them backyard flocks, have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza since April 13. The order allows small-scale producers to continue pasturing their birds outdoors provided biosecurity protocols developed by the Small-Scale Meat producers Association are followed.
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Sounds like 2 weeks to flatten the curve turning into 2 years.

USDA doing avian vax research, May 11 bio-docs to UN incl section on H5N8 w/wild bird spread. Found link to apparent pre-release on May 11 Geller Report. Good luck farmers.

2 months ago

Two more small flocks in BC have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The latest cases are in Richmond and Kelowna. CFIA is in the process of determining a control zone around the property in Richmond, the first report in the Fraser Valley of the H5N1 strain of the virus among poultry. Speaking to Country Life in BC this week, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said CFIA staff are working diligently to address outbreaks, and she encourages small flock owners to do the same. While commercial farms have tightened biosecurity measures, owners of small flocks have greater freedom. “Some smaller ones don’t necessarily have these measures in place,” Bibeau says. “They should also be extremely careful, because if we have a case in a backyard flock ... it could have an impact on bigger commercial installations.” ... See MoreSee Less

Two more small flocks in BC have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The latest cases are in Richmond and Kelowna. CFIA is in the process of determining a control zone around the property in Richmond, the first report in the Fraser Valley of the H5N1 strain of the virus among poultry. Speaking to Country Life in BC this week, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said CFIA staff are working diligently to address outbreaks, and she encourages small flock owners to do the same. While commercial farms have tightened biosecurity measures, owners of small flocks have greater freedom. “Some smaller ones don’t necessarily have these measures in place,” Bibeau says. “They should also be extremely careful, because if we have a case in a backyard flock ... it could have an impact on bigger commercial installations.”
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Killing our food chain. How do we know they are actually carrying a virus, look what's taking place with covid, is it real.

Ik kan niet zo goed Engels maar als ik het goed begrijp is bij jullie ook vogelgriep maar nog niet bij jullie

Any idea when this episode or bird flu might be over?

2 months ago

Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC welcomed its first new members in 20 years at its AGM on April 27. The BC Blueberry Council, BC Cherry Association, BC Cranberry Marketing Commission, BC Food & Beverage Association, BC Meats and Organic BC were approved as members, bringing the IAFBC’s membership to 15 farm and food organizations. IAFBC is also growing in responsibility, managing a record $8.3 million in funding from six funding agencies and developing new programs to support the agriculture sector including Farmland Advantage and Agricultural Climate Solutions. ... See MoreSee Less

Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC welcomed its first new members in 20 years at its AGM on April 27. The BC Blueberry Council, BC Cherry Association, BC Cranberry Marketing Commission, BC Food & Beverage Association, BC Meats and Organic BC were approved as members, bringing the IAFBC’s membership to 15 farm and food organizations. IAFBC is also growing in responsibility, managing a record $8.3 million in funding from six funding agencies and developing new programs to support the agriculture sector including Farmland Advantage and Agricultural Climate Solutions.
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Parties unite on trespass legislation

Statute amendments a key triumph of annual Ag Day

A police officer stands on the property at Excelsior Hog Farm surrounded by people who showed up to support the farmers after protesters occupied a barn, in Abbotsford, B.C., on Sunday April 28, 2019. Approximately 50 people occupied a barn and another 135 individuals protested on the rural road outside the farm after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a video last week that it says shows dead piglets as well as fully grown pigs with growths and lacerations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

December 1, 2019 byPeter Mitham

VICTORIA – Unanimous support for tough laws to protect agrifood operations against trespassers was a highlight of agriculture day in Victoria this year.

Opposition proposals were embraced by the government, resulting in a rare show of unity among the parties on an issue that has hit farmers hard over the past several years.

“We understand that a farm or a ranch, it’s not just a workplace, it’s a home and it’s a place with children and grandparents. Trespass, mischief, prowling at night, these are all against the law and must be treated as such,” BC agriculture minister Lana Popham told producers and representatives of farm organizations at a reception in Victoria on October 28.

The announcement was met with applause, and BC Agriculture Council chair Stan Vander Waal said farmers across the province should feel lighter as a result. BCAC urged the province to take action in April, following the invasion of Excelsior Hog Farm by more than 100 activists.

“This was a big ask from agriculture,” he said. “Most of us here feel a lot lighter tonight when it comes down to the confidence we have in our ability to do what we do for agriculture.”

Attorney general David Eby and solicitor general Mike Farnworth stood alongside Popham, pledging their support for the move.

Eby led the charge, introducing the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, which among other things addressed the province’s trespass legislation. Opposition members stepped up on October 21, with Abbotsford West MLA Mike de Jong asking for an amendment to include livestock operations among the premises protected from trespass in legislation.

Chilliwack-Kent MLA Laurie Throness jumped in October 28 with a private member’s bill aimed at protecting all forms of agrifood operations and stipulating fines of up to $50,000 on those who contaminate such “food establishments.”

“It’s our hope that the government will take this bill or respond with its own to send a strong preventative message to activists, like that sent by the government of Alberta earlier this month, and that BC will act decisively to protect farmers, processors and animals alike from unlawful trespass,” he told the legislature.

Popham, Eby and Farnworth all said that would happen.

“To have our laws reflect that care and concern that we have for the work that you do is really important,” Eby said. “We’re on your side and we’ve amended the law to make it absolutely clear to everybody.”

The bill included “a building or permanent structure designed or used for shelter for livestock,” as well as vehicles and aircraft used for the same, among the premises where trespassing was explicitly prohibited. However, no fines were specified; these will follow in regulations under the act.

The bill passed October 29 and received royal assent on Halloween.

Dairy farmers were particularly pleased with the development.

Organizing meetings for “Dairy is Scary,” a campaign launched by Canadian activist Erin Janus that raised the ire of New Brunswick farmers earlier this year, have been taking place in BC.

The meetings are hosted by Direct Action Everywhere, a six-year-old animal rights group founded in San Francisco. It was planning protests during the BC Dairy Conference in Vancouver, November 27-28. Fraser Valley farm families fear they could be next.

“Our association takes the issue of trespassing seriously,” BC Dairy Association general manager Jeremy Dunn said in response to the amended Trespass Act. “We are glad to see our government recognizes the importance of protecting our food system, and has committed to ensuring safe working environments for farming families, their employees and their animals.”

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