Update — 4pm EDT April 7th: The CFIA placed another six neighbouring farms under quarantine on Tuesday for precautionary measures (these farms had not reported sudden mortalities or other signs of avian influenza.) The infected barn housed 12,000 turkeys, of which 7,500 have died. The CFIA says the remaining birds will be euthanized on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Taiwan… Read More
Sofina Foods Inc. has announced plans to turn the former Great Lakes Specialty Meats hog processing plant in Mitchell, Ontario into a turkey processing operation. The Markham-based company acquired the property in September 2014 after Great Lakes entered receivership. According to court documents, a net $4.77 million was paid for the site, which includes a… Read More
Feed companies, farmers and other stakeholders in the feed industry in Western Canada have until April 9th to share their thoughts on the proposed mandatory licensing of feed mills with the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC.) So why is the CGC looking at licensing feed mills? In 2012, two major hog producers — Puratone and Big… Read More
The Canadian poultry sector is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to minimize the impact the outbreak of H5N2 avian influenza in the U.S. has at home. Following findings of the highly pathogenic strain, the CFIA has restricted imports of live birds and poultry products from Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and — the big one… Read More
*Update on Monday, March 9th: The USDA on March 9th confirmed a second case of H5N2 avian influenza in the Mississippi flyway on a turkey farm in Missouri. Another turkey facility in Missouri has also been quarantined after preliminary tests came back positive for the virus. The first finding of the highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza virus… Read More
With increasing scrutiny from both the public and regulators, it’s up to people involved in animal agriculture to explain how and why they use antibiotics, says a veterinary epidemiologist from southeast Saskatchewan. While media reports have been critical about antibiotic use in livestock and poultry production, Leigh Rosengren of Midale-based Rosengren Epidemiology Consulting says Canadian producers… Read More
Today, at the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan, Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced a nearly $3.8 million investment in livestock and forage research. “Investments in research help keep our livestock industry growing and strong,” said Stewart. “The knowledge that will result from the projects receiving funding will ensure our farmers and ranchers remain… Read More
There could soon be new demand for the oilseed crop camelina as a feed ingredient for poultry. Camelina seed company Smart Earth Seeds is welcoming the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s approval of feeding cold-pressed non-solvent extracted camelina meal to broiler chickens at up to 12 percent inclusion. “This is a major step forward for camelina in Canada,” said Jack… Read More
The number of people in British Columbia enjoying chicken or turkey for a Christmas dinner this week likely won’t be impacted by the outbreak of avian influenza in the province, according to survey results released by Chicken Farmers of Canada on behalf of the poultry and egg industries today. The results show that British Columbians realize the… Read More
The province of British Columbia has confirmed a tenth barn is infected with avian influenza. This news comes only two weeks after the province notified the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) of the detection of an H5 subtype in two barns in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, later identified as the highly pathogenic H5N2. Avian influenza has… Read More
If beef prices at the retail level stay elevated, will consumers pick pork and poultry? Have we topped out on these cattle markets? It’s questions like these that many ranchers and feed yard operators have been thinking about, so in this special “Ask Annie” edition of the Beef Market Update, Shaun Haney went to the audience… Read More
An internal disagreement that created concerns about a possible crack in the foundation of Canada’s supply management system for chicken appears to have been resolved with the signing of a new national agreement on quota allocation. Alberta withdrew from the national quota allocation program at the end of 2013, arguing the formula for distributing new quota… Read More
Egg Farmers of Canada has announced a partnership with the University of Waterloo to establish a research chair in public policy. Bruce Muirhead, the university’s associate vice president, external research and professor in the school’s history department, will fill the position, for which Egg Farmers is providing $110,000 per year for up to seven years…. Read More
By Lilian Schaer for AgInnovation Ontario The light emitted by an innovative new LED bulb designed for poultry farmers can help chickens lay more eggs. AgriLux was developed through research led by Dr. Grégoy Bédécarrats from the University of Guelph’s Department of Animal and Poultry Science. A partnership with Thies Electrical Distributing in Cambridge, Ontario… Read More
Despite criticism from the farm community, the number of items on A&W’s menu that require specific animal care practices on farms is growing. After moving to beef raised without the use of growth promotants and eggs from hens fed vegetarian diets without animal by-products, the fast food chain announced Monday that it has switched to only serving… Read More