Health officials in Vancouver have closed a federally inspected poultry plant in that city after confirming an outbreak of COVID-19 so far affecting over two dozen employees. The public health arm of Vancouver Coastal Health, the regional health authority for the greater Vancouver area, on Tuesday declared a COVID-19 outbreak among staff at United Poultry […] Read more
Vancouver health officials shut poultry processor
COVID-19 hits at least 28 employees
Low-path H7N3 bird flu believed to have gone high-path in U.S.
High-path H7N3 found in South Carolina turkeys
A low-pathogenicity (“low-path”) strain of H7N3 avian influenza that recently turned up in turkeys in the southeastern U.S. appears to have gone high-path. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Thursday confirmed highly-pathogenic H7N3 avian flu in a commercial turkey flock in Chesterfield County, in northern South Carolina. “It […] Read more
Maple Leaf poultry plant shuts for ‘deep cleaning’
COVID-19 found in three workers at Brampton facility
One of two Maple Leaf Foods plants at Brampton, Ont. has gone into shutdown mode for “deep cleaning” in the wake of three cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus among its workers. Toronto-based Maple Leaf announced Wednesday that operations at the company’s Kennedy Road poultry slaughter and packing plant in Brampton are suspended “while we complete […] Read more
U.S. egg prices hit record levels as pandemic buying boosts demand
Washington | Reuters — Increased demand for eggs in the United States has sent egg prices soaring in recent weeks as consumers scramble to stock up on staples due to coronavirus shutdowns. Wholesale prices of “Midwest large” eggs hit an all-time high of $3.09 a dozen on Thursday, triple their level in early March, before […] Read more
Poultry, egg farmers renew call on feds for CPTPP compensation
No timeline yet provided for remaining funds
Canada’s poultry and egg farmers say they are disappointed no compensation has yet been put in place for domestic market share given up under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade pact. Egg Farmers of Canada, Chicken Farmers of Canada, Turkey Farmers of Canada and Canadian Hatching Egg Producers, in a recent release, said […] Read more
Ontario’s broiler egg tracking systems backed for upgrades
Systems used to track broiler hatching egg and chick production in Ontario will get upgrades using federal-provincial cost-shared funding. The federal and Ontario governments on Monday last week announced up to $141,450 through the Place to Grow: Agri-food Innovation Initiative, a Canadian Agricultural Partnership program, for the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission (OBHECC). […] Read more
Puerto Rico cries foul over U.S. Congress’s cockfighting ban
San Juan | Reuters — An attempt by the U.S. Congress to ban cockfighting in Puerto Rico has set off a debate about animal cruelty, put thousands of jobs at risk and sparked a possible power struggle between the U.S. territory’s government and Washington. The 500-year-old tradition of cockfighting in Puerto Rico was due to […] Read more
Bloc Quebecois president tapped as party’s ag critic
The Bloc Quebecois will head into the House of Commons next month with a new critic handling the agriculture portfolio. Bloc leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has named Yves Perron, the rookie MP for Berthier-Maskinonge, as the party’s critic for agriculture, agri-food and supply management. As the Bloc’s ag critic, Perron replaces Mirabel MP Simon Marcil, who […] Read more
Charges laid in Alberta turkey farm occupation
A high-profile occupation last month by protestors at an Alberta Hutterite colony’s turkey farm has led to criminal charges against four people. RCMP on Wednesday announced charges of one count each of break and enter to commit mischief for a 46-year-old Edmonton man, a 24-year-old woman from Pincher Creek and a 28-year-old woman and 16-year-old […] Read more
McDonald’s to promote Egg Farmers of Canada standards
Reading Time: < 1 minute Egg Farmers of Canada is working with McDonald’s Canada to launch a new certification trademark for eggs served in the food-service chain’s 1,400 restaurants nationwide. McDonald’s advertising for its Egg BLT McMuffin sandwich sold this summer will display the EQA (Egg Quality Assurance) trademark. “The EQA program is the culmination of decades of work building […] Read more
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