Evidence of meeting #39 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was farms.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Interim Registrar, College of Veterinarians of British Columbia, As an Individual
All I can speak to is that I know the mink industry never prosecutes them because they don't want anyone to know where they are.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Thank you, Dr. Pritchard and Mr. Blois.
Now we'll go to Monsieur Perron.
Mr. Perron, the floor is yours for two and a half minutes.
Bloc
Yves Perron Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Ms. Pritchard, you have talked a lot about those who participate in these invasions. People have told us that we must spare a thought for whistleblowers. We have received a number of briefs from those saying that Bill C‑205 is a gag order that would hamper freedom of expression and prevent people who suspect mistreatment from becoming involved.
Could you explain the processes that already exist? For example, if people suspect an operation of mistreating its animals, are they really forced to break in? What other means can they use to report their suspicions?
Interim Registrar, College of Veterinarians of British Columbia, As an Individual
There are two deterrents for farmers to make sure.... Number one is the SPCA, which, if given any kind of evidence that there is something going wrong on a farm, will go onto the farm. They also have relationships with the industry, and if they think but they don't have evidence, they can contact the industry and the industry will follow up.
The other thing is that there are third party auditors. There are third party animal welfare auditors going on most of the farms in Canada right now, and that's for animal welfare: trained auditors who go to make sure that the farms are following the standards.
With regard to the dairy industry and the cattle industry—even the ones that don't have high biosecurity and are a little less under the spotlight—there are third party animal welfare auditors and the BC SPCA.
Bloc
Yves Perron Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
If I understand correctly, many solutions already exist and they do not include breaking onto a farm to verify a situation.
Let me finish with this question. In your opinion, Ms. Pritchard, if Bill C‑205 is not passed, what will be the repercussions for agriculture?
Interim Registrar, College of Veterinarians of British Columbia, As an Individual
I'm sorry, my crystal ball is not working very well for that. I just hope that whatever comes out of all these discussions contributes to deterrents being put in place so that these acts stop.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Thank you, Dr. Pritchard and Monsieur Perron.
Now we will go to Mr. MacGregor for two and a half minutes.
Go ahead, Mr. MacGregor.
NDP
Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC
Thank you, Chair.
Dr. Pritchard, a lot of the animal activist groups have been saying that respecting property rights is incredibly important, and it's good to see. We have heard that statement.
Obviously, though, there is a gap, because we have heard from farmers and they have been, for several decades now, raising the cry that there are not enough legal protections. We have seen some provinces react, notably Alberta and Ontario, by increasing penalties for their trespass laws.
You must have heard these stories coming from farmers while you were in the positions you held in British Columbia.
Why do you think the majority of Canada's provinces have been slow on the uptake in strengthening their trespass laws? We acknowledge that farmers have this right to safely and securely enjoy their property, to conduct their work in peace in accordance with all applicable laws, but they're still feeling that a gap is there. Why do you think provinces have been a bit slow in not strengthening trespass laws?
Interim Registrar, College of Veterinarians of British Columbia, As an Individual
I never criticize a province for being slow, because I've probably been open to that criticism myself.
I guess I feel there are probably reasons that people aren't aware of for why the progress is less than desirable. I have to feel that everyone is committed to moving in this direction and that there are often roadblocks that you're unaware of in the development of legislation.
NDP
Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC
I appreciate your appearing before the committee.
I'll leave it there, Chair. There will be no more questions from me.
Thank you, Dr. Pritchard.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Thank you, Mr. MacGregor.
That is going to be it for the first panel.
I really want to thank you, Dr. Pritchard. I hope we haven't stressed you too much. You did a great job.
Interim Registrar, College of Veterinarians of British Columbia, As an Individual
Me and my dog.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
That's great. Thank you so much for taking the time. I'm wishing you a good day.
For the rest of the panel, we'll break to bring in the new witnesses and be right back. I will suspend the meeting for now.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
We'll call the meeting back to order.
Today, I would like to welcome, from Dairy Farmers of Canada, Pierre Lampron, President, David Wiens, Vice-President, and Érik Tremblay, Special Advisor, Government Relations and International Trade.
I would also like to welcome Pierre-Luc Leblanc, President of Les Éleveurs de volailles du Québec.
I welcome you all to the committee.
Each of you will have five minutes for your presentation.
We will start with Dairy Farmers of Canada. The floor goes to whomever wants to start.
Pierre Lampron President, Dairy Farmers of Canada
Good afternoon, everyone. I am pleased to be here with you again today, on behalf of all the dairy farmers of Canada. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to present our point of view on Bill C-205, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act.
As you said, my name is Pierre Lampron, and I am the President of Dairy Farmers of Canada. With me are my Vice-President, David Wiens, and our Special Advisor, Érik Tremblay.
As Canada's dairy farmers, we are essential to the Canadian food supply chain. Our job, to feed the country, would not be possible without our animals. Their health and well-being, therefore, are very important for us.
Using our mandatory program called proAction, dairy farmers work every day to produce quality milk that meets the highest standards in the world. The six areas that our proAction program covers include animal care and biosecurity. Both are in peril when visitors from the outside do not follow the appropriate protocols.
I will now hand over to my colleague, David Wiens.
David Wiens Vice-President, Dairy Farmers of Canada
Thanks, Pierre.
As Pierre mentioned, the proAction program is a key part of our commitment to producing safe, high-quality milk, and one of the six modules of proAction is biosecurity. Strict measures are put in place at every Canadian dairy farm to mitigate the risk of exposure to dangerous disease or toxic substances that can affect cattle health.
One of the most important aspects of biosecurity is controlling traffic and visitors. Dangerous pathogens can be introduced and spread by contaminated footwear, clothing and hands, as well as vehicles, farm machinery and other equipment.
An individual entering a farm without permission may not be aware of or may not respect biosecurity requirements, which are really critical to preventing the introduction and spread of disease. Failure to respect entry protocols or previous exposure to other animal sites could have severe implications on the health of farm animals and undermine the contingencies put in place by farmers.
DFC believes in democracy and the fundamental rights of citizens to protest and disagree in public space. However, farms are not public spaces. Actions that threaten the health, safety and well-being of people and animals on farms or anywhere in the food supply chain should be prohibited. There should also be consequences for anyone who is responsible for such actions.
Now I'll let Pierre finish this with our position on this bill.
President, Dairy Farmers of Canada
Thank you, Mr. Wiens.
Bill C-205 is one more step in the right direction. We believe that that the wording of the bill could be strengthened to provide our animals with better protection.
In our opinion, enthusiasm or lack of knowledge should not be used as excuses when animal health is at stake. This must therefore be removed from Bill C-205. The result of doing so would be to ensure that the bill achieves its objective, which is to protect animals from toxic substances, dangerous pathogens and excessive stress.
In addition, we believe that the bill should also protect animals from all individuals or organizations who help others to contravene the legislation. In reality, unauthorized access to farms is often linked to organizations that suffer no legal consequences as a result of their actions.
Dairy Farmers of Canada are emphatically demanding that the government and all political parties support Bill C-205 with the amendments previously proposed. Passing this bill would guarantee that all livestock is protected against unauthorized access to farms, thereby reducing the risk of dangerous diseases among the animals. The legislation would also provide a legal framework that would strengthen the measures that dairy producers are already taking to protect the health of their animals under the proAction program.
Thank you. We will be glad to answer your questions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Thank you, Mr. Lampron, from Dairy Farmers of Canada.
The floor now goes to Mr. Leblanc, President of the Éleveurs de volailles du Québec.
The floor is yours for five minutes.
Pierre-Luc Leblanc President, Les Éleveurs de volailles du Québec
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Honourable members of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
First of all, on behalf of the 731 chicken and turkey farmers in Quebec whom we represent, I would like to thank the committee for providing us this opportunity today to express our views on Bill C‑205. As proposed, it is an important piece of legislation that seeks to better protect our birds from the enormous risks and consequences of incursions onto farms.
First, allow me to say a few words about our organization. The members of the Éleveurs de volailles du Québec are 650 chicken farmers and 157 turkey farmers who raise their birds with care and in compliance with strict food safety and animal welfare standards. In Quebec alone, the poultry industry supports almost 30,000 direct and indirect jobs, representing $2 billion in annual gross domestic product. Our industry is therefore a major driver of the dynamism and economic vitality of our regions and communities.
Our main goal in appearing before you today is to give you a clearer idea of the considerable risks that break-ins on animal farms like ours can have. Trespassing by individuals or groups can have very serious impacts on the health and well-being of the animals, and on humans in economic terms. It can affect not only the farmers but also our society as a whole.
The first risks are to the animals' health and well-being, which are put in danger. We have rigorous standards to protect biosecurity and the well-being of the chickens and turkeys we raise. Since 2009, these programs, which are recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, have been continually improved to meet the demands of Canadians. Quebec’s chicken and turkey farmers work hard every day to comply with these programs, including when suppliers need to enter the production site and the buildings where the birds are housed.
You can probably guess that trespassing on a poultry farm therefore directly jeopardizes all these measures that all Quebec farmers take to maintain farming standards that are among the highest in the world. You should also know that farmed birds, especially turkeys, are sensitive to stress caused by intrusions into their living space. This stress can lead the birds to huddle, causing injuries and even many deaths by asphyxia. A weaker immune system and a disruption of their watering and feeding habits are also possible. The stress caused by trespassing on poultry farms can quickly lead to a loss of 10% to 20% of the birds caused by the huddling and the disruption.
Other effects can be seen over the medium term. Diseases may result if biosecurity measures are not followed. Indeed, a series of diseases, including avian influenza, infectious laryngotracheitis and mycoplasmosis, can be introduced, even inadvertently, by humans entering a farm without observing a rigorous protocol of biosecurity rules. Let us not forget that avian influenza is a reportable disease because of its substantial potential impact on human and animal health and, in the event of large-scale spread, on the Canadian economy.
If a disease is introduced through trespassing without the farmer being aware of it, the infection may have time to spread more widely before mitigating actions are taken. This further complicates the work of health authorities and raises the associated costs. If a disease is introduced, it can also lead to the requirement for humane slaughter, an unfortunate decision that runs counter to the chicken and turkey farmers' commitment to supply the Canadian market with food.
The third major risk of farm break-ins is financial loss. To properly understand what an outbreak of a disease can do, we need only read the report prepared by the Équipe québécoise de contrôle des maladies avicoles on the outbreak of infectious avian laryngotracheitis that occurred on 10 farms in Bellechasse and the Beauce from May 18 to July 28, 2010. The outbreak, which began in a single poultry barn, affected no fewer than five municipalities. It affected 20 poultry barns on 17 farms in the region, or more than 50% of the poultry barns in the entire region. A total of 1.8 million chicks had to be vaccinated in two consecutive lots following the infected lot. In addition to the increased mortality and condemnation in the infected lots of birds, a number of expensive measures had to be carried out, increasing the overall cost to the industry by more than $1.8 million.
It is also worth noting that Quebec poultry farms have specialized equipment to optimize growing conditions and bird welfare. However, this equipment is expensive and, if it is damaged during a break‑in, resulting in no ventilation or heating, the farm could suffer serious consequences, including the total loss of whole lots of birds.
Finally, we must not forget that human beings are behind every operation. The fear of being the target of a break‑in is very real among our members, and the stress that this can cause may be traumatic for the targeted farmer.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Mr. LeBlanc, can you wrap up your presentation? It is time for us to move to questions. Thank you.
President, Les Éleveurs de volailles du Québec
Okay.
In addition to animal health, the health of farmers is also at stake, given the psychological and physical consequences of trespassing on the farm.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Thank you very much, Mr. LeBlanc. You will have the opportunity to answer questions.
We now move to questions. We will start with Mr. Lehoux.
Mr. Lehoux, the floor is yours for six minutes.
Conservative
Richard Lehoux Conservative Beauce, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon to the witnesses. My thanks to them for joining us today to talk about Bill C‑205.
My first question goes to Mr. Lampron or Mr. Wiens, from Dairy Farmers of Canada.
At your symposium in 2020, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said that break-ins were unacceptable. Can you tell us today whether you have had any discussions with the Minister on the issue since February 2020? What is her approach to it?
President, Dairy Farmers of Canada
That is a good question. Politically, nothing has happened. I don't know the stage that the latest discussions have reached. Mr. Tremblay may know more about it. As you point out, however, the Minister did express quite a firm commitment at that time. As for any other steps, I don't know what has happened.
Conservative