Thousands of animals have perished because of unprecedented flooding that has affected tons of of farmers in British Columbia, says the province’s agriculture minister.
“We have many, many more (animals) that are in difficult situations, and we’re seeing an animal welfare issue develop,” mentioned Lana Popham throughout a joint information convention Nov. 17 with fellow cupboard ministers and Premier John Horgan.
“They need attention, and so with my colleagues, we’re developing routes so that veterinarians can access farms and get to the animals as soon as possible. There will have to be euthanizations that happen, but there are also animals who have survived that are going to be in critical need for food in the next 24 hours.”
Although she singled out the dairy and poultry sectors, provincial officers “do not have any firm numbers on livestock injuries and losses.… Efforts are ongoing to identify and address different sector needs,” mentioned an electronic mail by the agriculture ministry.
Horgan mentioned B.C. declared a state of emergency as of midday Nov. 17 because of historic flooding and mudslides brought on by record-breaking rainfall. The unfolding disaster has claimed the lifetime of at the very least one particular person, he mentioned, including extra fatalities are anticipated.
Flooding in Abbotsford, B.C., prompted an evacuation order that affected 59 dairy producers within the Sumas Prairie space, Holger Schwichtenberg, chair of the B.C. Dairy Association, mentioned in an interview.
It is inside the Fraser Valley area, which incorporates greater than 75 p.c of the province’s dairy business. There have been studies of farmers utilizing every little thing from canoes to jet skis to maneuver trapped cattle.
“I know there were some losses on the cow side, but I have no sense of numbers, and it’s still evolving,” mentioned Schwichtenberg. “It’s all just coming to light what happened.”
A request for an interview with the B.C. Chicken Marketing Board was not instantly granted Nov. 17.
Multiple highways and rail hyperlinks remained closed as of Nov. 17, slicing farmers off from feed in addition to routes wanted to get their items to market.
“This is an especially difficult time for our livestock producers,” mentioned Popham. “We will make sure that disaster relief funds are available for farmers, and that we’re supporting them in every step of the way.”
The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture mentioned Popham has “spoken to her federal counterparts and we will be looking at an Agri-Recovery package, like we did in the summer with the wildfires, to support farmers through this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, she is “planning to visit the Fraser Valley as soon as it is safe to do so and speak to affected farmers in person.”
During the annual basic assembly of Alberta Milk Nov. 17, chief govt officer Jacques Lefebvre of the Dairy Farmers of Canada mentioned his group is working with the B.C. Dairy Association “and government officials to identify emergency aid, and mid- to longer-term programs that could be leveraged in support of B.C. dairy farmers affected by the floods.”
Popham mentioned though there was a window of as much as three days for feed for the dairy and poultry sectors, “those stores are running out now. And some of the food that has been stored is underwater itself, so we’ve made contact with feed mills (and) we’ve made contacts with our colleagues across the nation to try and access food that’s going to be needed to keep these animals healthy.”
“Over the last few days, I’ve been able to have FaceTime discussions with farmers, and some of them are in their barns. And some of their barns are flooded, and you can see the animals that are deceased, and it’s heartbreaking,” she mentioned, turning into visibly emotional.
Schwichtenberg mentioned dairy producers have been pressured to dump their milk as a result of all routes to ship it remained blocked as of Nov. 17.
“(Although) there is a pool contingency for this sort of thing, (any cows that are ) not fed or watered … will just end up drying off and milk production will stop.”
Numerous farms within the “high and dry part of the valley” have taken within the cows of different dairy producers, mentioned Schwichtenberg, who has a dairy farm close to Agassiz, B.C.
“I mean, we personally have 30 milking cows that we’ve integrated into our herd and another 13 animals that we have in a little small barn off to the side of the property … and that’s what we can help out — that’s what we can do from our end.”
He notably praised truckers and different “people that hopped into pick-up trucks and hooked up their trailers and started hauling animals out of the affected areas. It was amazing to watch how the industry comes together.”
The dairy sector contributed $1.2 billion to the province’s gross home product in 2019, supporting 12,470 jobs, mentioned a press release by the B.C. Dairy Association.
“In terms of economic impact, milk is the number one land-based agricultural commodity in B.C.”
The flooding follows record-breaking warmth waves and wildfires that slammed B.C. this summer season, affecting each cows and forage manufacturing for dairy farmers who lacked irrigation, mentioned Schwichtenberg.
“From the flame into the fire, we had a long, hot, dry summer, and here we are with record rainfall two months later.”
Horgan linked the 2 climate extremes to local weather change.
“We had more rain in two days than we normally get in an entire November … and I think all British Columbians fully understand that now we have to better prepare for events like this.”
A working group of B.C. cupboard ministers has been shaped to cope with the flooding, he mentioned.
“But this is an across-government response. Everyone will be pulling together — there’s not a person that hasn’t been affected or will not be affected by the events of this past weekend.”
from https://vegetablesnow.com/fraser-valley-farmers-battle-amid-flooding/
from
https://almondetudier.tumblr.com/post/668216701520953344
from https://reginabailey.blogspot.com/2021/11/fraser-valley-farmers-battle-amid.html
from
https://almost-like-a-sunflower.tumblr.com/post/668221902125514752
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