Chicken Farmers Playing Waiting Game

Canada Farmers of Canada (CFC) says that the government does not fully understand what they need to mitigate specific impacts caused by COVID-19.

 

The organization notes that farmers have lowered their production by 12.6% for May and June and by 11% for July and August to address the concerns of their value chain partners and give the system a bit more breathing room.

 

“We’re not looking for compensation for our reduced production,” said Benoît Fontaine, Chair of Chicken Farmers of Canada, “We’ll take care of this ourselves. The issue arises with the potential of having to depopulate flocks. What we’re asking for is a commitment to cover both the value of the birds and the costs related to any required depopulations due to COVID-19.”

 

CFC says the entire value chain has worked to avoid having to depopulate flocks, by rerouting birds when plants have had to close due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

 

The group notes the uncertainties resulting from COVID-19 are in addition to the financial stress farmers were already facing with the ratification of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Transpacific Partnership (CPTPP). Farmers lost a significant portion of their domestic market and have been waiting on government to announce programs to strengthen the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the sector for over a year.

Video: Season 6, Episode 12: Veterinarians’ Perspectives on Managing Swine Herd Health Across All Phases

Identifying challenges in swine production and turning them into solutions through research and team development is the focus of this episode. Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics shares insights on herd health, biosecurity and trial work to improve pig performance. She also discusses her team’s research philosophy, how they evaluate rate of investment and how they gather feedback from employees to address challenges and maintain herd health across all phases of production. Dr. Carlos Roudergue of Country View Family Farms discusses the growing complexity of swine production, especially as technology increases and employee interaction decreases. He also shares how their workforce is shifting toward more specialized roles to support herd health and efficiency.