The governments of Canada and Ontario are supporting a project that will build and strengthen the capacity for the chicken industry to effectively and humanely manage chickens in emergency situations.

The governments have committed up to $350,873 in cost-share funding to the Chicken Farmers of Ontario, working alongside the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chicken Commission and the Association of Ontario Chicken Processors under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership). This project will deliver a third-party service that ensures chickens are handled in a humane manner during emergency situations such as a disease outbreak or barn damage from fire or extreme weather.

This project falls under the Protection and Assurance stream of the Partnership, which supports livestock and poultry farmers in Ontario to be competitive, productive and profitable while managing animal health and food safety risks.

"The Government of Canada is committed to helping Canada's poultry sector proactively seek out new and innovative solutions to challenges faced by the industry. Investing in emergency preparedness and management strategies helps support the Ontario poultry farmers in their efforts to raise healthy, productive and well-cared for animals and ensure a strong and sustainable path forward for the sector," said Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal minister of agriculture and agri-food

"Emergency situations are a reality on farms. It's important to our government to make sure that if and when those emergencies happen, farmers have a system in place to humanely deal with the animals involved. We're pleased to be able to help Ontario's chicken farmers strengthen their capacity to manage emergencies by supporting this project through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership," said Ernie Hardeman, Ontario's minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs

"Our industry is committed to the highest standards of animal welfare. This innovative, collaborative, industry-led service will strengthen our effective risk management strategies and further enhance animal care. We thank Minister Hardeman and Minister Bibeau for this support and partnership as we work together to enhance our emergency response services, and continuously improve biosecurity and animal welfare on our farms and throughout our industry," added Ed Benjamins, chair of Chicken Farmers of Ontario

Quick facts

• The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3-billion commitment by Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments that supports Canada's agri-food and agri-products sectors.
• Cost-share funding under the Partnership supports projects in the following priority areas:
  • Economic development in the agri-food and agri-products sectors.
  • Environmental stewardship to enhance water quality and soil health.
  • Protection and assurance to reinforce the foundation for public trust in the sector through improved assurance systems in food safety and plant and animal health.
    
• To date, both the federal and provincial governments have committed cost-share support to more than 1,150 projects through the Partnership to help eligible Ontario farmers, processors, businesses and sector organisations innovate and grow.
• In Ontario, cost-share programming to agriculture and value chain organisations is provided through the Place to Grow: Agri-food Innovation Initiative.
• Full programme details on the Place to Grow initiative will be available in August 2019. The first application intake for the initiative will open on 15 August 2019 and remain open through 27 September 2019. The second Place to Grow intake is to open on January 6, 2020 and remain open through 27 January 2020.
• Ontario's agri-food sector supports more than 820,000 jobs and contributes more than $39.5 billion towards the province's Gross Domestic Product.

Associated links

• The Canadian Agricultural Partnership in Ontario
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs