SALT SPRING ISLAND – On an island that proudly features a rooster crowing contest at its annual fall fair, real roosters have ruffled enough feathers in the community that the issue has landed a local couple in court. Following a three-year campaign of complaints by the neighbours of CJ McNichol and Alia Elaraj to silence …
FIRB
BC FIRB gets a good egg
BC Egg Marketing Board chair Gunta Vitins has been appointed vice-chair of the BC Farm Industry Review Board, succeeding Al Sakalauskas, who succeeds her at the egg board. The two traded places November 1, with the appointments lasting for a term of two years. BC FIRB chair Peter Donkers welcomed Vitins to the board, noting …
AI response in spotlight
BC’s poultry sector gathered as a whole for the first time since 2020 after three years of pandemic-related restrictions and uncertainties. But another pandemic was in the spotlight at the March 2-3 conference, with highly pathogenic avian influenza figuring into the annual reports of all sector groups and the educational sessions. Any way you slice …
Whistleblowers at FIRB, ALC protected
A phased expansion of the province’s whistle-blower legislation means that staff who call out bad behaviour at two high-profile farm organizations will now enjoy protection. Staff at the BC Farm Industry Review Board as well as the Agricultural Land Commission now enjoy whistleblower protections under the Public Interest Disclosure Act, which allows employees of public-sector …
Chicken growers on watch for avian influenza
ABBOTSFORD – With pandemic restrictions lifting and demand for chicken stabilizing, BC poultry producers are renewing their focus on biosecurity to stave off some well-known infectious diseases affecting their birds. “Biosecurity continues to be a challenge for us,” BC Chicken Growers Association president Dale Krahn told growers at their annual general meeting in Abbotsford, March …
BC Veg consultation ends
This week marks the end of a consultation regarding the appointment of independent members to the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission as part of a broader review of governance. The deadline for submitting written feedback as part of initial input on new rules for the election of members and independent appointees is January 13. The review …