From the desk of Harvey Sasaki
The Ministry of Agriculture sponsored an AgriStability webinar for the chicken sector on May 26th. The chicken industry has been able to navigate its way through the COVID-19 pandemic reasonably well, with limited impacts to date. That being said, given the experience with processing plant closures this spring and the potential for a second wave of outbreaks later this year raises the risk profile for chicken growers. Unlike Avian Influenza, COVID-19 is a human health, not an animal health issue, meaning that the inability to process chicken will not trigger compensation under the Health of Animals Act nor will it cover the costs of on-farm euthanasia. The potential loss of revenue as well as the cost of on-farm euthanasia and disposal can be covered under AgriStability. The AgriStability Program provides a low cost option to protect your farm against this potential risk. Information on the program is available by contacting the program via email at agristability@gov.bc.ca or by calling 1-877-343-2767. The Board encourages you to ensure that you have thought about and have taken necessary measures to manage the potential risks to your farm presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Harvey
