By Alice McFarlane

CFA calls on federal government to support B.C. farmers affected by flooding

Nov 22, 2021 | 5:21 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is asking the federal government to support British Columbia producers devastated by recent flooding.

CFA President Mary Robinson has written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to explain the recent flooding of the Fraser Valley and surrounding areas has created a feed and animal welfare crisis for poultry and livestock in B.C. that requires immediate attention.

“The flooding has forced many farmers to evacuate with their animals and abandon their food and water supplies. To add onto this, with all major routes into the province being impacted by the flooding, there is little ability to move feed into the province from outside sources,” Robinson said.

Efforts to re-route ingredients through the United States has not proven successful as the infrastructure of those routes has also been compromised.

Robinson said this has created a massive feed crisis which could have long-term consequences for animal welfare and the food supply. Without the ability to obtain feed, many farmers will be forced to depopulate their herds and flocks.

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“We are reaching out to strongly urge immediate action, with co-operation from all levels of government, to quickly address the declining feed supplies and feed ingredients,” she said.

Robinson said the B.C. feed industry needs priority access to grains and meal from the Port of Vancouver as well as priority road access to allow farmers to receive deliveries of feed.

She said many farmers CFA is speaking to have already run out of what little feed they managed to take with them.

“We cannot stress the urgency of this situation enough, as a small delay could have long-term impacts for these herds and flocks,” Robinson said. “The situation is quickly becoming dire.”

CFA is also asking the government to move quickly to trigger AgriRecovery.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW