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Current Issue:

MAY 2022
Vol. 108 Issue 5

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3 days 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 weeks 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.

3 weeks 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?

3 weeks 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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4 weeks ago

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises. ... See MoreSee Less

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises.
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Provincial meat licensing overhaul effective October

Small-scale producer survey will support future advocacy

August 1, 2021 byTom Walker

MERRITT – The province has formally announced details of the new three-tier licensing structure for meat processors promised earlier this year.

The four existing classes of licences will be streamlined, with on-farm slaughter allowed across the province.

Provincially inspected A and B licensees will be consolidated in a new Abattoir class, with no restrictions on slaughter volumes or sales.

Two on-farm slaughter categories will exist: Farmgate Plus, allowing slaughter of up to 25 animal units (25,000 pounds) and off-farm sales anywhere in the province, and a Farmgate licence allowing slaughter of up to five animal units (5,000 pounds) and sales within 50 km of the licensee as well as within the licensee’s regional district.

The changes take effect October 1. New licences will be valid for five years. All licensees must take the SlaughterRight training course, launched in February as one of the first key changes following consolidation of meat inspection under the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. All facilities will be inspected at least once a year, with more frequent inspections according to assessed risk.

“We’ve been so pleased to see this announcement,” says Ava Reeve, executive director of the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association, which was first briefed on the changes at the end of March. “We appreciated being included in the process, and we’re happy to see many of our recommendations reflected in these new regulations.”

SSMPA hopes the new system will reduce processing bottlenecks and increase producer revenues.

“We look forward to seeing many farmers and ranchers take this opportunity to grow and diversify their businesses,” says Reeve.

Survey launched

SSMPA launched a survey in early July to get a better understanding of the sector and the impact of the licensing changes.

“There is no hard data available right now,” she explains. “Nobody is counting the small livestock producers. We need to know numbers and we need to know their concerns, so we can serve those producers.”

SSMPA board members are all producers and developed the survey, says Reeve.

“We also have regional representatives who are a new addition to the SSMPA team and they reviewed the survey as well,” she says. “The goal was to capture the really important questions for our sector.”

A small group of producers formed SSMPA in 2017 but membership is hard to pin down. However, Reeve says there are up to 3,000 small-scale meat producers across the province.

She wants to hear from both current and past meat producers to know the issues they face and, if they’re former producers, why they left the sector. This will help SSMPA develop proposals for solutions.

The survey is comprehensive and asks for producer details and concerns, including unlicensed slaughter.

“We know illegal slaughter is happening across the province and we would like to hear what the needs of those producers are, why they are choosing to do something that is so risky and whether there is anything we could change about the regulatory system to bring them into the fold,” says Reeve. “I don’t think there are many people who prefer to be doing their slaughter illegally, but there is some reason they are choosing to do that. We would like to know what those reasons are.”

The survey will also help assess the anticipated impact of the new regulations, adds Reeve, as well as any barriers small-scale producers perceive.

“In anticipation of the announcement, we made sure that our survey will help us study the impact and success of these regulatory changes,” says Reeve, noting that insurance coverage, restrictions on use of Agricultural Land Reserve properties and low profitability remain concerns.

All responses will be anonymous, giving many producers the first opportunity they’ve ever had to detail their practices and their reasoning honestly without fear of repercussions.

“Honest responses are absolutely essential to the value of the results,” says Reeve. “We are not a government organization. … We will not share raw data. All responses will be aggregated into a report.”

Despite the challenges of summer work, weather and wildfires, Reeve hopes for a good response. The survey takes just 15 minutes to complete.

The survey is open until August 20 and can be completed online at [smallscalemeat.ca/survey] or by calling 250-999-0296.

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Meat producers frustrated by consultations

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Province expands slaughter licences

Province to consider value-added options

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