Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Avian flu insurance delayed

Thursday, January 14, 2010

image

© AgMedia Inc.

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario’s chicken producers will have to wait until March to obtain Avian Influenza insurance.

Chicken Farmers of Ontario told producers at regional meetings last fall that the program would be available this month. But a few matters still have to be worked out, including the premium cost and the licensing enabling the Poultry Insurance Exchange Reciprocal of Canada to sell the Avian Influenza insurance, says Chicken Farmers spokesperson Mary Fearon.

The insurance will pay the difference between Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s compensation for euthanizing birds in cases of outbreaks and the bird’s actual market value. It will also cover cleaning and barn disinfecting as well as vet and diagnostic fees.

“The idea behind it is to help the industry rebound more quickly,” Fearon notes, adding the insurance will be mandatory for all 1,100 chicken farmers. “It’s about covering losses and making sure that everybody gets back into production.”

Other provincial poultry boards are also considering offering the insurance but they’re not as advanced as Chicken Farmers in the process. Each board will set its own premiums and coverage levels for its farmers.

Bob Guy, general manager of the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission, says it’s up to the farmers to recommend the program; the board would decide if it should be implemented. “We don’t have a target date for that decision,” he says. 

Harry Pelissero, general manager of Egg Farmers of Ontario, says they’ll likely have a program for their farmers in four to six months. The federal government says it will look at the compensation paid for laying hens under the Health of Animals Act.

“That might have an impact on the amount of premium a program may end up costing,” he says.

A representative of Turkey Farmers of Ontario could not be reached for comment. BF

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth

Monday, June 30, 2025

Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online

Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility

Friday, June 27, 2025

Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online

Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost

Friday, June 27, 2025

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online

Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top