Evidence of meeting #66 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was research.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
So $200 a hen. So the 5,000, which would require a second job, would cost a million dollars, without the barns and anything else.
You reported that there are 1,050 producers who are part of your organization. Is that number going up or down? In terms of the industry, you mentioned there are younger people in it. Were there 1,200 five years ago and today it's down to 1,050, or is it growing?
Chair, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
Well, right now, I can tell you the average age is about 46 years old. The number of producers has stabilized. It's not increasing or decreasing. In some provinces you will see new producers coming into the business, but there are only a few. Some of them are producers who sell a certain type of production to switch to layers.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
So what you're saying to our committee today is that if the government could maintain the environment you're working under and offer some protection for disease, then everybody would be quite happy.
Chair, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
Yes. We're not here to ask for money; we're here to try to get the proper compensation when a disease affects our flocks.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
This is really good to hear. So many groups we meet feel that for two years out of five, or whatever, they're not going to make enough to make ends meet. With supply management, as long as that environment is maintained....
With respect to your production, in Atlantic Canada we've gone to a single grading station now. I guess the big chains want consistency; they want one bill for their enterprise and so forth. Are you being hassled at all by the chains in other regions? How do you do that, in terms of having 20,000 eggs each day and you want somewhere to get rid of them to make someone's food?
Chair, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
Our goal at CEMA is to supply the eggs that a consumer wants. A producer is free to ship his eggs to whichever grader there is in the area. CEMA is not involved at the retail level; it's the grader who is involved there. For us at CEMA, we have to make sure there are enough eggs and enough choice for the consumer.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
How many chickens are there in the average chicken operation?
Chair, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
The current national average is about 22,000 laying hens for each laying house.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Avian influenza is spread when the infected animal comes into contact with a flock.
Chair, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
Contamination can occur through contact with an animal or person.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Is there a huge likelihood that the chicken barn will be infected?
Chair, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
Yes. That is why we worked with the federal government to establish some restriction standards. We do not let just anyone into our chicken barns, because there is always a danger that the person may be contaminated. There are trucks that come to deliver the food, and people who come to collect the eggs. Many people are involved in a chicken operation. So we are trying to take preventive action.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
If a producer knows his animals well, how many days will it take him to notice Avian flu in his building? Given how quickly this flu spreads, if he doesn't realize that it is there soon enough and if he is moving from building to building, then he will end up contaminating all his animals. If he has 10 poultry buildings, he will contaminate the whole flock.
Chair, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
In a severe case of Avian flu, he might notice in less than 12 hours. It can happen quickly. I don't need to repeat how quickly contamination in British Columbia took place.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
We know that if a poultry barn is contaminated with this flu, then the entire flock has to be destroyed. How long after a poultry barn has been contaminated can it be restocked? Can the barn be restocked if it was the site of an outbreak?
Chair, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
In an extreme case, such as the one that occurred in British Columbia, it can take up to 18 months because you can't put all the hens in the poultry barn at the same time. You can only produce at certain times during the year in order to supply the market. It takes six months from the egg stage before you end up with a laying hen. It takes 18 months for the process to start turning again.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Orders are placed on a six-month basis in the case of laying hens. Therefore, if something happens in a poultry barn and the flock must be destroyed, then a special order is required. Things don't happen automatically, because all business is transacted by purchase order.
Twenty dollars per hen covers part of the cost. A hen usually costs between $6 and $8. The difference covers the loss of revenue that most likely wouldn't be covered by other existing programs. That is an important factor to understand. A hen costs from $6 to $8. If I buy a hen in the spring for my little boy, it will cost $6.75. If you buy 22,000 hens, then you should get a good price.
Chair, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
Eight dollars is a maximum amount. That amount may vary depending on the hen's stage of production. The revenue generated by a laying hen comes from the eggs it lays. We derive our revenues from the eggs.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
If a producer was not able to produce over a long period of time because his three buildings were contaminated, does the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency provide for quota loans to other producers? A quota can be moved over 200 miles to another location and eggs can continue to be produced.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
So there is no provision for lending quotas.
