Shifting Gears: Blog 3.0

I believe it's time to shift gears on the Blog for Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada ("SFPFC"), moving toward Blog 3.0

Readers of SFPFC's Blog are now from 161
countries, including Antarctica.

This Blog was started  on Feb.28, 2013 (coming up on 3 years old), has posted 444 entries, and attracted a total of 187,723 visits from people in 161 countries around the world. (USA, Canada, Russia, France, Ukraine, Germany, China, and UK leading the way in visitors).

We shifted gears in May 2015 to a non-daily posting, as Blog 2.0

Today, we shift gears to Blog 3.0, where our primary focus will now be to help non-quota poultry farmers, cheerleading their successes, and providing helpful hints to do sustainable, worthy poultry farming that can produce safe, nutritious, affordable, locally produced poultry for our local communities.  This will include non-CAFO poultry farming, small flock, Artisanal Chicken, Family Food exemption, and all similar non-quota poultry farming.

Up until now, our primary focus has been on investigating and describing the plight of non-quota chicken farmers in Ontario Canada, as a proxy and worst case scenario for all Small Flockers across Canada.

Small Flockers in Ontario have historically been the most abused, mistreated, and persecuted of all Small Flockers across Canada.  Our theory was that if we cannot make our case for relief and respect for Small Flockers in Ontario, we would not be able to do any good for anybody else across Canada.

Since starting our crusade 3 years ago, Ontario's Chicken Mafia, as embodied and lead by the Chicken Farmers of Ontario, has introduced "Artisanal Chicken", where a Small Flocker can raise up to 3,000 birds per year; 10 times more than the previous draconian rules by CFO against both Small Flockers and Canadians.

For those who shout "Too little, too late", I agree.

However, these changes forced upon the Chicken Mafia by public opinion and their government masters are a good start.

As the Canadian and world economies continues to tailspin down, out of control, the unfairness and unacceptable cost of Supply Management ("SM") will become more and more apparent to the public.  Soon the public will start shouting for urgent changes for more affordable food that isn't contaminated or depleted of nutrition.  Those additional changes to SM will suddenly start to appear.  We need to be patient.

The Chicken Mafia will think that each concession granted will be sufficient to satisfy the complaints against them and their wicked, dysfunctional system.  The Chicken Mafia think that throwing one last bone to the wolves at the Chicken Mafia's door, they will escape the bite of the ravenous wolves.  The Chicken Mafia think they can then resume their raping, pillaging, and abuse of Canadians and Small Flockers.

However, each changed forced upon the Chicken Mafia will be too little, too late.  It will quench the thirst for change only momentarily.  The grudgingly created concession will help show that change for the better is possible, and show the chronic unfairness that has been imposed for decades by the Chicken Mafia.  Each change will fuel and spread the need for more change.

That doesn't mean that the Chicken Mafia can escape by refusing all change, sending forth their lobbyists with more money and propaganda to quell the growing disturbance.  The Chicken Mafia can no longer delay, deny, destroy, defend, distract, deride, and deflect.  Refusing to change for the better will quickly end their tinpot monopoly.

For those who are interested, the evidence of the Chicken Mafia's dirty deeds is collected together and fully explained here.  For those interested, the Internet will spread the message.  For those who wish to stay dumb and blind, nothing written here will change anything for them.

Also, there is little to be gained from re-hashing the same crimes and misdemeanors of the Chicken Mafia over and over again.  It's now time to move on.  However, if the Chicken Mafia commit another unique and grisly offense against Small Flockers or the Canadian public, you will likely hear about it here first.

Now  we will build our own Small Flocker community.  We will share and support each other.  We will build the policies and best practices of Small Flockers, so that this becomes the nexus of sharing and celebrating everything Small Flocker.

I therefore call upon all our readers around the world for what they have done to improve their flocks and better serve their local communities.  You are all requested and invited to share your stories, pictures, and other successes here.

The dysfunctional CAFO chicken factories and their quota monopolies, lies, cheating, and incest are hereby abandoned, out of the spotlight, and can wallow in their own filth as long as they want, slowly rotting, rusting and inbreeding to their heart's content.  We are done with them.  Good-bye.

CFO's Stonewalling of Artisanal Chicken Answers

Artisanal Chicken:   It's been more than two months since we asked some respectful yet tough questions on of Chicken Farmers of Ontario ("CFO"), and still no answers.

I previously posted about our questions to CFO on their new Artisanal Chicken program (see Blog posting

Question the Artisanal Chicken Program of CFO.

 

For more info on CFO's Artisanal Chicken, see here, here, here, and here.

 

Time is running out.  If Small Flockers don't get CFO's answers, they will soon be forced to make a decision about joining Artisanal Chicken while kept in an information vacuum by CFO.

 

If we assume that CFO is suddenly and inexplicably acting in the best interest of Small Flockers, why would CFO ignore these valid and reasonable questions, stonewalling, and refusing to answer?  At best, CFO might be too busy on more pressing issues for the Artisanal Chicken launch.  In this is true, how long does it take for CFO to say "CFO received your questions, and will fully answer as soon as possible, but no later than what applicants will need to make an informed decision to join Artisanal Chicken without delay".  If that is the case, why didn't CFO respond in that way in a timely manner?  If the questions inadvertently fell through cracks in CFO's bureaucracy, why didn't CFO respond and fix the oversight when I reminded them at the one month delay point?  I can think of no other method to explain and justify these slim possibilities.  I therefore suggest these and all other assumptions that view CFO's actions (and inactions) through rose coloured glasses are ridiculous and unlikely possibility, and therefore I reject all of these from further consideration.

 

We are therefore left with the distinct possibility that CFO's Artisanal Chicken is designed to enhance and defend CFO's self serving and dysfunctional position. 

Most Small Flockers must make capital purchases in excess of $5,000 to be ready for Artisanal Chicken.  Should they proceed, hoping and blindly trusting in CFO, that none of the risks materialize?  An un-necessarily risky approach for a Small Flocker.  Alternatively do we shun the Artisanal Chicken opportunity until CFO decides, or is forced, to answer all reasonable questions?

If somebody is a traditional Small Flocker, and considering becoming an Artisanal Chicken Farmer, they need to make an informed decision about the risks and benefits associated with this big decision.

If you decide to go forward, and later learn some critical, hidden consequence, the retreat back to Small Flocker (now Family Food) will be fraught with costs, traps, consequences.  CFO could even decide to arbitrarily bar re-entry into Small Flocker status (now Family Food).  There is no limit to CFO's powers, nor their desire to monopolize the chicken market.

CFO may have designed Artisanal Chicken as a honey pot to attract CFO's enemies and advocates for Small Flockers' rights & freedoms (us and others like us) within the Small Flocker's rank and file.

Stonewalling may indicate that if it isn't CFO's plot to kill off CFO's critics, then it is likely that CFO launched Artisanal Chicken because CFO had their arm twisted by Ontario's Farm Products Marketing Commission, who may have been silently and secretly ordered by Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture, who may have been pushed by Ontario's Cabinet.

It is doubtful that CFO launched Artisanal Chicken on their own volition because they suddenly realized the previous unfairness they caused to Small Flockers and the Ontario public.

Has CFO acted like a petulant teenager who is forced to do some task by their parents?  Will that misguided teenager purposely misinterpret, and do the task in a way that nefariously interprets the parent's instructions; Is CFO's Artisanal Chicken program designed like a teenager's passive aggressive attack against the parent's imposition of a family duty on the teenager?  When the Artisanal Chicken program is eventually exposed for the dead end, dysfunctional trap will CFO say "We were against this Artisanal Chicken idea, we warned them this would occur, so don't blame CFO now that these risks have arrived on your doorstep."

Never forget that this Artisanal Chicken program is likely designed to help CFO's condition, not that of consumers, nor the life of Small Flockers.  It is likely designed to divide & conquer, to douse the flames on the greatest critics of CFO and Supply Management ("SM") in general.  By separating critics into two smaller groups, CFO divides the critical voices, separates the critics on a few key issues, and this can do nothing but strengthen the position of CFO.

Why would CFO want to answer questions that expose their diabolic plan?  It is far better to delay, stonewall, and ignore any questions that might tip your hand and expose CFO's self serving agenda.

And that is what CFO has done.

Until proven otherwise, I suggest all Small Flockers, and all those Artisanal Chicken applicants be wary of CFO's other shoe that will be suddenly dropped at the most dangerous time for the Small Flocker who trusted in the good faith, competence, and purpose of CFO.

My latest email to CFO again requesting answers to critical questions about CFO's Artisanal Chicken program.

Worst Case Scenario for CFO's Artisanal Chicken

In the game of chess, each player gets 8 pawns to play with.  While they have limited powers individually, when worked in unison, they can be powerful.  Unfortunately for pawns, they are usually sacrificed at the convenience of the player.  Does CFO plan to use, abuse, then sacrifice Artisanal Chicken growers, similar to the lowly, yet loyal pawn?

In previous postings (see 3000 chickens for Ontario's Small Flockers, Caveat Emptor of Artisanal Chicken, and CFO's Artisanal Chicken: Conflict of Interest, Question the Artisanal Chicken Program of CFO) we'd discussed CFO's new Artisanal Chicken Program, and some of its potential risks or ambiguities.

It takes a lot of hard work, long hours, ingenuity, and resources to build a new business.  I know, I've done it.  In other words, it isn't easy.

Thieves and fraudsters hoodwink and scam people, lulling them into a false sense of security, getting others to do all of the dirty work for them, then suddenly confiscate (ie. steal) the proceeds of the victim's hard work.  Thieves and fraudsters allow their victims to work hard for decades, accumulate their personal property and wealth, then quickly steal it all away in just a few hours of the thieves' effort.

I used to have a cherry tree in my backyard that I pruned and sprayed to keep bountiful harvests of cherries.  The wild birds never seemed to touch the cherries, until the cherries were ready for eating. Once ripe, within 4 hours, the tree was stripped clean by the wild birds.  My only defenses were to pick unripe cherries, or put a bird net over top of the cherry tree.  I installed the net, and our family enjoyed our cherry harvest the next year.

While my cherries were a renewing resource each year, AC chicken under CFO's byzantine rules may not give second chances. 

If I choose to be an Artisanal Chicken Farmer, will I need some type of bird net to protect me from the predatory CFO taking all my ripe AC "cherries" before I can enjoy any of the fruits of my labour?  

Could Artisanal Chicken ("AC") be a diabolic plan of Chicken Farmers of Ontario ("CFO")?

When you're a multi-millionaire CAFO factory chicken farmer, you are guaranteed a "reasonable return" on you assets and investments in chicken.  Since you have no worry about the financial return you receive on your investments, your biggest worry is losing your investment (ie. chicken quota or Supply Management is weakened or destroyed), the chickens that lay the golden eggs forever.  The other major risk is to make a bad investment in a new opportunity, and that bad investments kills your chickens that lay golden eggs for you.

At this point in time, we have:

• Chronically weak and volatile world economy;
• A weak Canadian economy, rising food costs; collapsing dollar; quivering real estate bubble values; weak retail sector; falling commodity prices for crude oil, natural gas, minerals, softwood, and many more.
   
• Ontario following Greece's example of excessive debt, deficit, and piece-meal selling off of public assets;
• Animal welfare advocates questioning the CAFO chicken factory system
• Public and government forces pushing for the banning of wholesale use of antibiotics in animal's feed and water.

It's nice for CAFO chicken factory farmers can ignore all the above, because no matter what, they are guaranteed a handsome profit no matter how many times Canadians get flushed down the toilet.  CFO quota farmers want others to take all the risks.

It is unclear what will be the optimum choices for AC genetics, growing method, marketing, and processing.  What better way than to open up AC to 100 volunteers, allow them to try all the different permutations and combinations.  If 99% of the AC farmers fail due to their non-optimum choices or circumstances, that is one less risk for CFO and its members to face.

Once all of the rough edges have been knocked off, and many AC pioneers have proven it works first time, every time, that is when the AC farmers can expect CFO to pounce; similar to the wild birds patiently waiting for my cherries to ripen.

If the AC system becomes a success, all CFO has to do is change the rules, AC chicken farmers are out, and the CFO members can step right in to steal the proven AC system.

CFO's Policies Foreshadow CFO's Future Plans

CFO's Artisanal Chicken Policy 212-2015 says:

6.07   Artisanal Production Licences to Artisanal Chicken Farmers are subject to change and do not convey any property rights.

That means CFO can do as it pleases with any or all AC licenses, or the AC program overall.  They can suddenly cancel the program without warning the day after an AC farmer receives their 3,000 chicks, leaving the AC farmers stranded with birds they cannot own nor sell under CFO's whimsical and arbitrary rules.  Since there are no property rights, nothing was taken away by CFO by the sudden cancelation.

The Canadian Bill of Rights says we all have the human rights and fundamental freedoms, namely:

1. (a) the right of the individual to life, liberty, security of the person and enjoyment of property, and the right not to be deprived thereof except by due process of law;

As soon as CFO changes a policy, and its rubber stampers at  OFPMC, the government's powers delegated to CFO make it law.  If CFO suddenly decides to treat AC farmers unfairly or unjustly, who will stand up and stop CFO?  Will Geri Kamenz and his merry band of rubber stampers at OFPMC stand up against their CFO friends so as to protect the AC farmers from CFO's tyranny and despotism?

I doubt it.

Only the Canadian Constitution, Charter of Rights & Freedoms, and Canadian Bill of Rights limit the government's powers, and hence limit the delegated powers enjoyed by CFO.
 
Since CFO's Policy specifically grants an AC license which is not property, the Canadian Bill of Rights does not apply, and CFO is free to treat all AC farmers as their slavish property, pawn, or cannon fodder; as CFO pleases.

Not since the Divine Right of Kings has anybody or any group enjoyed such unrestricted, absolute power awarded to the small, privileged minority of Supply Management (just 8% of all farmers in Canada).

CFO's Artisanal Chicken Policy 212-2015 also says:

9.02   The Artisanal Production Licence is specific to the particular artisanal chicken farmer, in support of the business proposition advanced in application, to whom it is issued and is not tradable, transferable, rentable and may not be pledged as security for indebtedness, and has no monetary value attributed to it.

Note that this clause further restricts the use and value of the AC License issued by CFO as ill-liquid and non-fungible.  All of which is to CFO's eventual advantage, otherwise why would they be doing this?

CFO's Artisanal Chicken Policy 212-2015 also says:

11.02   The Artisanal Chicken Policy will be reviewed on an annual basis, and determined whether to vary or amend it. CFO may also review the status of any artisanal chicken farmer, their artisanal chicken business community partner(s), and applied for business proposition and issue such orders and directions as it may deem appropriate to give effect to this Policy.  

I am surprised to see that CFO didn't expressly grant themselves the power to cancel the AC program all together.  Of course, CFO could add the power to cancel AC to this policy the day before they exercise that power to terminate AC.  In the alternative, they could suddenly declare that AC licenses have become very valuable, and hence AC farmers will be charged $1 Million per year for their license.  While AC is still officially operational, nobody is stupid enough to pay that extortion money to CFO.  The AC game is effectively finished.

Worst Case Scenario

Here is what I fear most for any Small Flocker considering joining CFO's AC program.

About 100 or so Small Flockers get duped by CFO into joining AC, 99% of them subsequently die due to CFO's wacky rules, delays, or difficulties in startup.  More Small Flockers, those who were on the AC waiting list, and without any warning or disclosure by CFO that their AC predecessors crashed & burned, step up to replace the fallen AC pioneers.  Eventually in 5 to 10 years, the AC bugs are all worked out, and an AC farmer can start to make a reasonable income, or perhaps a fantastic income, perhaps even better than CAFO chicken factory income.  The bigger the AC advantage, the sooner CFO will strike.  The AC pioneers will be shot in the back by using the 3 clauses listed above, or by CFO changing its regulations for AC.  Preference will then be given to quota-bearing CFO members to confiscate the AC market, and these CFO members will be powerful blood sucking leaches who will step into the fertile ground prepared by the blood, sweat, & tears of the pioneering AC farmers.

CFO's Response to the Worst Case Scenario?

Perhaps all of the above shocks the conscience of CFO that someone would suspect that CFO might not have the best of intentions toward all AC farmers.  Perhaps CFO never intended to do any of the nasty and immoral acts listed above.

Perhaps CFO has nothing but rainbows, sunshine, & trotting unicorns in their hearts & minds.

In that case, CFO should have no problems with the revision of their policy now, so that AC farmers are adequately protected from the arbitrary, whimsical, despotic, and unlimited powers of CFO.

Divine Right of King CFO?

Not in my world.

Caveat Emptor of Artisanal Chicken

I have already thanked Chicken Farmers of Ontario ("CFO") for allowing this opportunity of Artisanal Chicken to come forward, but all Small Flockers need prudence, perform due diligence, and excercise caution for CFO's Artisanal Chicken Program.

How much of an opportunity it really is will eventually be learned down the road.  On that basis, I worked till 2:00 AM to read everything CFO disclosed on this program, then submitted my Artisanal Chicken application with trust and hope stretched to the limit.

I'm in the queue line, but I can always leave the lineup later on and remain a Small Flocker under the "Family Food" exemption as we slowly learn what is behind the door we have applied to enter.  I suggest all Small Flockers should consider this cautionary, tentative plan with a clear exit strategy.

When a fox invites a Small Flock rooster to come to the fox's den for dinner, it is prudent to ask what's on the menu before accepting the dinner invitation.

For example, CFO has dangled the carrot that the Artisanal Chicken program will be allocated 5% of the chicken market growth that CFO achieved the previous year.

What CFO doesn't say is that 95% of the growth automatically goes to the kits of Mama Fox.  CFO also doesn't disclose what happens if there is no growth in the previous year.

No quota growth could happen due to weather, economic recession, Bird Flu, rogue CAFO chicken farmers or processors who get caught by animal rights activists or CFIA food inspectors, a fight at the Chicken Farmers of Canada Board where 6 out of the 10 provinces vote to refuse Ontario any quota increase, or a hundred of other reasons.

With no quota growth, CFO's allocation to Artisanal Chicken goes to zero (ie. 5% of zero equals zero), and Small Flockers who made the investment into Artisanal Chicken are summarily executed.  The following year, the door to the fox's den is opened again, the welcome mat is put out, and the fox awaits the next group of Small Flockers to blindly trust & enter.

That may not be the intention of CFO, but it is a reasonable interpretation of what CFO has said so far, and requires some clarification by CFO for prudent Small Flockers before they enter the fox's den.

Unfortunately, this is just one of dozens of other risks that the Artisanal Chicken program currently contains.

Caveat Emptor ("let the buyer beware")

Glenn Black, President
Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada

3000 chickens for Ontario's Small Flockers

As startling as it may sound, Chicken Farmers of Ontario ("CFO") just posted on their website (as of late yesterday Jul 28, 2015) the Artisan Chicken Program, where Small Flockers in Ontario will be able to raise between 600 to 3,000 chickens per year for select target markets such as retail customers, restaurants, or local farmer markets.  Small Flock Exemption for 1 to 300 birds per year will be re-labeled as Family Food program and continue as before.

"Play fair, be prepared for others to play dirty, and don't let
them drag you into the mud."   Richard Branson, (1950 - ),
English businessman and investor. He is best known as the
founder of Virgin Group, which comprises more
than 400 companies

First, let us count our blessings and give thanks.  I have already sent an email to Michael Edmonds, CFO's Director of Communications and Government Relations, saying:

"Thank-you for bringing this program for all of Ontario's small flock poultry farmers, and the people of Ontario who want and need safe, nutritious, affordable, and locally produced chicken."

You can email or phone Michael too:   Email Michael   Phone: (289).288.4223

I and SFPFC has been lobbying on behalf of Small Flockers and all Canadians for 3 years, others have been at it for far longer. We sought, in addition to other pleas for relief, for raising our Small Flocker exemption from 300 to 2,000 birds per year, but we ended up getting 3,000 birds per year. 

How's that for results!

Small Flockers who are happy in their personal niche sub-300 birds per year can stay there, undisturbed.  Perfect!

CFO passed CFO By-law 212-2015 for Artisanal Chicken as of July 28, 2015.
 
CFO Applications for Artisan Chicken forms must be submitted prior to Friday September 4, 2015. 
Applications will be considered in the order in which they are received, until the allocation available in any year is reached.

That means first come, first served.  I informed all SFPFC members of the good news at Tuesday July 28, 2015 at 7:52 PM, then I started filling out my application form for 3,000 birds, which I submitted to CFO at 9:44 PM Tuesday.  Fair is fair.

Get your application submitted ASAP.  Snooze, you lose.

CFO said, "The available allocation for Artisan Chicken will be 5% of the previous year’s growth."  When they say "growth", do they mean the total allocated quota received from Chicken Farmers of Canada ("CFC")?  If not, does that mean that if Ontario's chicken consumption enters 0% growth for some year for whatever reason, the Artisan Chicken Program will come to an end the next year?  That doesn't seem fair, nor reasonable.  I wonder what CFO really meant to say?

Applications will be processed and initial premises inspections conducted between September 2015 and November 2015. There is no set number of farmers that will accepted into the new program.  Successful applicants will be informed in early December 2015.

CFO said, "Chicken grown under this Policy is not to be marketed for home consumption."

Elsewhere, CFO said,

"The chicken grown under the Artisanal Chicken program and Local Niche Markets program will be counted against Ontario’s national allocation as set out by Chicken Farmers of Canada. Chicken grown under the Family Food program (previously the Small Flock Program) is exempt from the national allocation system as it is intended for home consumption and not considered commercial product."

It seems CFO has now defined (or always defined) that small flock farm gate chicken sales are not "commercial".  Good to know, all yea Small Flockers.  That CFC-CFO definition may come in handy down the road.

CFO said, "Artisanal chicken marketed under this program must be marketed at a price not less than the Minimum Live Price determined under Ontario Regulation 402"  The current minimum live price is $1.563/kg for a 2 kg bird.  Assuming 0.68 kg eviscerated per kg of live weight, that is equivalent to $2.30/kg of eviscerated meat ($5.06/lb.).

CFO said, "CFO has established an Annual Production Licence Fee of 20¢ per quality chick placed. CFO and CFC fees and levies are also payable at 3.6¢ and 1.2¢ per chick respectively. These are payable when the license is issued."

The total is $0.248 per chick placed.  Assuming a 5% chick mortality, the chick placing fee becomes $0.26 per live bird sent to slaughter, or $0.13/kg live, or $0.19/kg of eviscerated meat.  Assuming 1.5% of all birds slaughtered are condemned (unfit for food), that fee becomes $0.194/kg ( $0.427/lb) of eviscerated meat that can be sold.

CFO said, "Overproduction above 5% will result in a financial penalty of $1.00 /bird and impact consideration of future licences."

CFO also said they have plans for a "Local Niche Markets Program.  This program offers interested farmers the opportunity to support those larger niche or regional markets of 6,000 chickens or more per year. This is an application and quota based program.  More details on this program will be announced at a later date."

I found it very interesting that the CFO By-law calls for an "Artisanal Chicken Abattoir".

Obviously, there are many more questions that must be found, expressed to CFO, and that must be answered eventually.

There are some SM quota people who are organic, and who do pastured poultry.  We now have, or will get the express, included right to pastured poultry too; if not now, then soon.  It may take some more "discussions".  I plan to, and hope CFO will be willing to work co-operatively with us.

For some Small Flockers contemplating what to do, the added bureaucracy, paperwork, arbitrary and conflicting and contradictory and ambiguous statements and requirements by CFO under Artisanal Chicken may cause bewilderment, stress, and fear.  The "interesting" requirements of CFO's fine print include:

• On-Farm Food Safety Assurance Program ("OFFSAP") compliance (including HACCP, risk management, and biosecurity);
• On-farm audits, planned and surprise
   
• Animal Care Program compliance;
   
• Farm Worker Safety Program compliance
• CFO's Infectious Poultry Disease Isolation Policy compliance
• CFO's Digital Communication and Transactions Regulation compliance
• Licence Fees, Levies, Service Charges and Penalties Regulation compliance
• Artisanal chicken farmers will be active partners in growing the Artisanal Chicken Business Community by funding community development  and program related costs [SFPFC: more overhead costs]
   
•  Produce birds with a reference weight of 2.225 kilogram live weight [SFPFC:   it is unclear what happens if our Artisanal customers want different weights of birds than CFO's "reference weight"]
• CFO may take similar action against every other artisanal chicken business community partner(s)who has been a party with an artisanal chicken farmer to any growing and marketing of artisanal chicken contrary to this Policy [SFPFC:   guilt by association, how far will the witch hunt go?]

Perhaps SFPFC can play a role to develop templates that will fit most Small Flockers who apply under Artisanal Chicken.  This could be done on a cost shared basis for SFPFC members, saving everybody time & money.

We have until 2016 to get all our ducks in a row.

We can do it if we all work together.

Poultry Hatcheries Infect Small Flockers

A rash of Salmonella infections has made numerous small flock and backyard poultry owners sick.  The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC") reports the following facts:

• 181 people infected, 33 hospitalized, none dead;
• Outbreaks started as early as Feb. 20 2015 and continue to today and beyond;
• Infections are spread across 40 States in the USA;
• 4 simultaneous outbreaks (40 people across 16 States, 69 people across 30 States, 56 people across 16 States; 16 people across 8 States);
• 9 different strains of Salmonella are involved;
• 86% of the infected persons reported contact with poultry prior to becoming sick;
• 95 ill people have been interviewed so far to trace the source of these infections;
• 67% of the ill people who had purchase records available, reported purchasing live baby poultry from 17 different feed supply stores and hatcheries spread across multiple States;
• Multiple hatcheries have been identified as the source of the infected chicks and ducklings;
• None of the Salmonella strains are Superbugs (ie. resistant to 1 or more antibiotics)
• Many of the ill people report cuddling, kissing, or having the poultry inside their homes

It is unknown why or how multiple hatcheries are simultaneously or serially involved.  Is there a common source for the Salmonella that infected all of these 4 hatcheries?  University of Kentucky lists about 90 hatcheries who serve Small Flockers in the USA.  As more infection data comes in and/or our understanding improves, will more of these hatcheries be implicated with Salmonella poisoning?  Only time will tell.

In Canada, Canadian Hatchery Egg Producers ("CHEP") says there are 240 broiler hatching egg farmers in eight provinces across Canada.  There are even more who do other eggs than broiler chickens.  Only 12 of those hatcheries are HACCP (ie. biosecurity & food safety) certified by CFIA.

CDC offers the following recommendations for backyard poultry to protect against Salmonella infections.

Cuddling, kissing, or having the poultry inside your homes (rather than keeping the poultry in an outdoor coop) significantly raise the risk of infecting humans, and are not recommended.

Hands should be thoroughly washed with soap & water before handling poultry (to protect the birds), and washed again after you are finished handling poultry (to protect the people).  Never, ever kiss or cuddle poultry, nor touch your face with hands that might be infected with Salmonella.

Also, in addition to the Salmonella that could be lurking there, be aware that some hatcheries purposefully place drugs on the chick's yellow fluff feathers, the drug dries on the chick's fluff, then other chicks will peck off the drug and eat it, thereby becoming dosed with the prescribed chicken drug.

Epidemic Spread Timeline for Salmonella Infections in Backyard Poultry in USA

Vaccination of chicken flocks against Salmonella can be done, but we don't know if this was done by these hatcheries.  Vaccination against salmonella only reduces the risk by 1/3 to 1/2 for the flock's Salmonella incidence rate of what occurs among non-vaccinated flocks (see http://aem.asm.org/content/76/23/7820.full ).  Were these Salmonella outbreaks a case of stopping vaccination programs for the infected chicks, or were we just lucky prior to this? Today, we have no answers.

It seems to me that these small flocks were cross-contaminated from the same source:  the hatcheries who provided the Salmonella contaminated chicks.

Small Flockers have little or no capability to detect, prevent, or mitigate the risks from an infected supply (chicks or otherwise) that is purchased by a Small Flock farmer.  Small Flockers trust (perhaps too much) that their suppliers will provide healthy, non-contaminated chicks, feed, supplies, etc.

Allowing (or encouraging) family or visitors to kiss baby chicks, or not wash hands before or after contact with farm animals is a breach of biosecurity protocols, whether on Small Flock farms, or commercial chicken factories.  High risk behaviours that are strongly recommended against.

Turkey Talk for Nova Scotia

Small Flock turkey growers in Nova Scotia are in trouble, under attack from the Turkey Mafia.  Here are some letter of support for our members and friends Down East.

In a previous Blog posting (see Turkey Trauma ), we described the loss of an important, small abattoir-butcher shop in Millbrook NS, run by Gordon Fraser.  We described how the supply of turkey poults (young turkeys) to small flock turkey farmers has been cut off from Larkin Bros. in PEI.  With no source of poults, and nowhere to get your fully grown turkey butchered, the small flock turkey farmers of Nova Scotia have been totally stranded and beached on the rocky shore of Supply Management.  The Turkey Mafia have done their dirty work very successfully.  They made no coup de grace, but indirectly made the fatal blows that will cause the withering on the vine.  A sneak attack from the rear.

In support of our brothers and sisters in Nova Scotia, SFPFC has written a number of letters to call attention to this mean spirited attack by the Turkey Mafia.

Here are copies of the letters we sent so all to see:

Email 1: To the Liberal Government of Nova Scotia (Premier, Minister of Health, Minister of Agriculture), and local MLA Karla MacFarlane, PC

Email 2: To News 95.7 FM (Halifa NS), thanks for their news coverage of Turkey Trauma in NS

Email 3: Request for additional Ag. News coverage of Turkey Trauma in NS

Email 4: To MLA Karla MacFarlane (PC), Pictou West NS

What more can we do to expose these insideous, indirect attacks on the small flock turkey farmers of Nova Scotia?

While Nova Scotia's small flock turkey farmers are under attack today, don't think that this is the end of the SM Mafia's attack on Small Flockers.  If you breath a sigh of relief that you have escaped their persecution, think again.  Political apathy will seal our fate.

They Thought They Were Free

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

 Martin Niemöller ( 1892 - 1984), a German Lutheran pastor
and theologian born in Lippstadt, Germany

speaking of the Jewish Holocaust in Nazi Germany

Chicken Choices for Maple Lodge Farms

The Chicken Mafia has a few choices:  A) continue to deny, delay, stonewall, and resist; or    B) Admit it has serious problems in its defined processes, and poor compliance to those defined processes; then fix all those problems; or   C) Allow others (ie. Small Flockers) who don't have those dysfunctions to serve consumers who want humane chicken.

Here is the undercover video allegedly shot at Maple Lodge Farms' Ontario slaughter plant, then reported by Mercy For Animals.



For more, including a MFA petition see http://www.maplelodgeharms.ca/

CTV's W5 provides some excellent video and followup investigations.

From January to June 2011, Maple Lodge accrued 26 Administrative Monetary Penalties ("AMPs") and paid $120,600 in fines, according to CFIA data. Between April and June, the company chalked up another  22 violations, the most AMPs in Canada.  Rather than continue with even more AMPs, CFIA laid charges against Maple Lodge Foods.

On Sept. 27, 2013, Maple Lodge Farms was convicted on 20 separate charges for failing to provide adequate animal welfare under Health of Animals Act.  They received a suspended sentence for 3 years (expires Sept. 27, 2016) on 18 of the charges they were convicted of.  On the two charges they were sentenced on, they were fined $80,000 cash and must spend $1 Million over the three year probation period to improve their bird transportation and processing plant system.  See Appendix "A" of the Mar. 27, 2014 Court Order  Since then, there have been 20 incidents of high chicken DOA (Dead On Arrival) during the 2014 period of  probation, indicating Maple Lodge Farms still hasn't solved their issues.

In their defense, Maple Lodge Farms says:

"We also participate in third-party audits of our facilities. On our most recent audit, conducted in August 2014 by Silliker, a global leader in food safety and quality solutions, Maple Lodge Farms achieved a 99.1 per cent score on transportation and 100 per cent on the holding and handling portions of the audit."

I note a difference between food safety and animal welfare.  Perhaps that is one source of the problem, Maple Lodge Farms can't comprehend the difference.  Silliker may have expertise in HACCP, but seem to have less experience in animal welfare.  If Maple Lodge scored 99.1% and 100% on their audits, perhaps they need a new auditor, and I shudder to think of those processors who barely pass the audits. 
Maple Lodge Farms is the largest chicken processor in Canada, exports chicken to 30 foreign countries, and is a prior winner of "50 Best Managed Companies in Canada" award.  Obviously, they knew better than this.  They had the sophistication and resources to do better than this.

How do we explain their alleged cruelty to dozens, if not thousands, of chickens?

On Maple Lodge Farm's Facebook page a posting at Mar. 29, 2015 8:29 AM by a Maple Lodge spokesperson blames the undercover videographer for continued abuse of the chickens because the videographer did not use the anonymous phone tip line to report known or suspected animal abuse by other employees.

Obviously, any of the hundreds of employees at Maple Lodge Farms could have picked up the phone, but none did.  Does this indicate that the abuse is a chronic accepted fact at Maple Lodge?  How else do we explain this?  It appears that this company, or at least this slaughter plant, is a toxic work environment needing a big shakeup.

What about the thousands of good, hard working employees at Maple Lodge Farms who were not involved in the abuse, and are just as appalled as the rest of Canada?  How do these previously proud employees explain to their family, friends, and neighbours about the Mark of Cain that Maple Lodge has tattooed upon them through no fault of these employees?

So what does the President of Maple Lodge Farms have to say about all this?  Here he is, fresh off YouTube, re-invented by their crisis media consultant with their soothing tones and politically correct phrases.  Give it a good, hard listen.




The word cloud from his speech looks pretty good.  Obviously professionally written.  You bought yourself the best speech money can buy.

Word Cloud from Speech by Michael Burrows, President of Maple Lodge Farms
about animal abuse inside their slaughter plant in Brampton ON

 Maple Lodge Farms has also issued a press release.

I have done a detailed analysis and recommendations, and a commentary from the vantage point of small flock chicken farmers, thinking about the steaming pile of chicken manure Mr. Burrows has thrown his company into.  My analysis of his amateurish attempt at a reassuring, yet shallow and unbelievable speech was done sentence by sentence.  It also provides a full, corrected transcript of his speech, as You Tube's version is a little garbled.  I hope it helps Maple Lodge quickly get onto the proper path, and mend their evil ways.

Note at the end where the Ontario Don of the Chicken Mafia clinches for his closeup, and says:

"If you feel we are falling short of these expectations, I invite you to let me know via the "Contact Us" page of our website."

Michael Burrows CEO of Maple Lodge Farms

Well Mr. Burrows, I think both you and Maple Leaf Farms fall very short of the mark.

Hear me loud and clear, you have fallen short of my expectations.

Mercy for Animals Canada, at the end of their shocking documentary on Maple Lodge Farms’ dysfunctional chicken operations (Timestamp 3:10), said:

“Remember, you can withdraw your support from this cruel industry by leaving chickens off your dinner plate".

Mercy for Animals Canada

You, Mr. Burrows and your company Maple Lodge Farms have damaged the reputation of the entire chicken industry, both within Canada and internationally.  Perhaps you have damaged Canada itself, and its citizens.  A weak economy, and we ge even more damage and weakness.  Thanks a lot!

As one of the small flock chicken farmer in Ontario Canada, you have damaged me and my chicken farm.

In Luke 23:34, Jesus, while on the cross, said:

 “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

Incompetency and lack of awareness won Jesus’ recommendation for forgiveness.  It appears that you are incompetent, and lack awareness of both animal welfare and the managing of people.  Perhaps you should be forgiven for your failings and sins too.

Mr. Burrows and Maple Lodge Farms may be suffering from the Dunning–Kruger Effect, which is a cognitive bias wherein unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their ability to be much higher than is accurate.

"If you’re incompetent, you can’t know you’re incompetent. […] the skills you need to produce a right answer are exactly the skills you need to recognize what a right answer is."

David Dunning

Having a name for your disease is half the battle.  Now all we need is a cure.  How about the cure of disciplinary firing for Mr. Burrows?

Someday, I hope to forgive you, Mr. Burrows.  However, I will never forget what you have done to those unfortunate chicken, to me, to all the other chicken farmers, and to Canada.

Oscar Wilde said,

“Every Saint has a past, and every Sinner has a future.”

Perhaps you hope that Oscar Wilde's maxim applies to you, Mr. Burrows; your sordid past, and your potentially illustrious future as a Chicken Mafia millionaire.

*  *  *

I'm done with them and their Chicken Mafia brotherhood.  Now it's your turn, my faithful Blog Dog Readers.

Do you have some comments you'd like to make to Maple Lodge Farms, and their President Michael Burrows?  If yes, here are the links.  Let them know how you truly feel.

Email Maple Lodge Farms

"Contact Us" page of  Maple Lodge Farms website page

Hidden & Stacked Meetings are not Fair to Ontario Stakeholders

Do Small Flockers and advocates for affordable &/or locally produced food need & deserve a fair process for their issues before OMAFRA, OFPMC, CFO, AOCP, and other Stakeholders?

I previously posted about how all of Northern Ontario was left out in the cold on this consultation, but this was corrected at the last minute after bitter complaints by a handful of Northern Ontario advocate farmers (see Blog posting Distractions or Consultations by CFO? ).

Some stakeholders that attended one of CFO's meetings on quota allocation were very pleased with the openness exhibited by CFO and other Supply Management ("SM") supporters.

However, they were concerned with the relatively poor turnout by Small Flockers, food advocates, and other non-SM stakeholders.  Was this a non-issue to these other stakeholders, or was there a reason for the low attendance?

It is suggested that the majority of Small Flockers do not read the agriculture Blogs, magazines, and Internet sites on a daily basis.

Secondly, CFO may have published about the meetings on their website (see http://www.ontariochicken.ca/chickenindustryconsultations ), but Small Flockers and food advocates don't scan CFO's website on a daily basis either.

CFO has a database of all 15,500 Small Flockers in Ontario, but as far as I know, CFO didn't lift a finger to notify any of them by that method.  I know, because I am listed in that database, but I never received notice from CFO.  It was only by a phone call from Max Burt that I learned about these meetings before they were all over & done with.

CFO didn't bother issuing a press release that I can find on CFO's website.  None of the farm papers, farm magazines, or Agriculture Internet websites had any advance warning on this important consultation issue that I have been able to find.

There is a short article on Better Farming website dated Jan. 12th, 2015, saying the CFO's consultation process was wrapping up, almost complete.  At that point, 9 of the scheduled meetings had already concluded.

Ontario's Farm Product Marketing Commission ("OFPMC", the government body that is supposed to supervise and approve CFO's actions) does have a short info posting of unknown date (see http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/farmproducts/misc/WhatsNew.htm  ) that refers the reader to CFO's website on these consultation meetings.  Again, few to no Small Flockers or food advocates regularly read OFPMC's website.

Similarly, OMAFRA's website has a small mention under What's New that refers to the consultations and  CFO's website.   It's as if everybody wants to do the least possible, but needs some token mention in case somebody complains, thereby avoiding the obvious bias.

These actions are similar to the often used technique of politicians releasing a damaging report late Friday before a long weekend.  Only the most diligent reporter or politician in the opposition is there, watching to bring this slight of hard by the mandarins of power to the public's attention.

However, it seems CFO, AOCP, and the other Supply Management Overlords notified all of their supporters and cronies, notifying them fully, early, and repeatedly, so as to maximize their attendance, then likely beat the bushes to ensure they showed up at the meeting.

Above and beyond immediate stakeholders, don't everyday consumers get a voice?  On their website, CFO notes meetings held on Jan. 19th and 27th that were open to the public (as opposed to special interest groups for all the other meetings).  Who notified the public, and how was fair notice provided for these meetings?  Why wasn't there CFO and/or OFPMC and/or OMAFRA press releases to the Globe & Mail, National Post, and every major daily paper throughout Ontario?  If free notice wasn't provided to the public by the major papers as news, shouldn't CFO have purchased reasonably sized ad space?  How fair is that, to inadvertently or purposefully hide the meetings from consumers?

Would the Chicken Mafia Overlords go so far as offering free quota or other enticements to any SM supporters who showed up at the meetings and behaved themselves by fully supporting and vocalizing the Chicken Mafia's well rehearsed propaganda soundbites?

When CFO is looking for feedback, is it a fair process to use every available means to stack the meetings?

Maybe CFO really isn't looking for feedback.  Maybe CFO is trying to save themselves from the wind of change that is blowing SM up onto a rocky shore.

I hear (from reliable sources whom I believe) that both CFO and OFPMC are under severe pressure from OMAFRA to be more open, transparent, accountable, and responsive to consumer's demand for diversified quality and specifications in Ontario's chicken supply, and especially local food sources for Ontario chicken (ie. Small Flockers).

While CFO is being pressured, they appear to be using every trick in the book to avoid, distract, stonewall, resist, and sabotage the voice of Ontario's consumers who want change in their Supply Management systems.

This is going to get interesting, really soon.

Case Dismissed: The Appeal Tribunal has Spoken

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Appeal Tribunal has refused to hear Small Flockers' appeal of the Small Flock Exemption Regulation as it is judged to be "frivolous, vexatious, and made in bad faith."

The Tribunal has consistently complained about lack of powers and jurisdiction for finding liability against Chicken Farmers of Ontario, and similar issues that were requested as relief for Small Flockers.  In response to the Tribunal's alleged limitations, both Versions 3 and 4 of our appeal had those contentious issues removed.  For some unknown reason, the Tribunal got hung up on Version 2, and would consider neither Versions 3 nor 4. 

In addition, I supplied the Tribunal with over 23 different legal precedents that supported the contentious relief that I requested from the oppressive and unconstitutional parts of the Small Flock Regulation; including a number of Supreme Court rulings that directly supported our case.

The other Respondent parties refuted neither our legal arguments, nor the case law presented, nor offered case law in support of the Respondent's position.  In spite of that, the Tribunal is silent about all of the case law presented except one, and then decided against us in what appears to be a contradiction of the case law.

How that can occur is a mystery to me, but that's where we are at.

The Tribunal mentioned in their decision that there was significant animosity between Small Flockers and CFO.  It seems that the Tribunal felt that this was one more reason not to allow the appeal, for they discussed it in this decision, as well as the previous two decision; obviously sufficiently important to bear repeating three times.  Does the Tribunal expect that if litigants are not the best of friends, they shouldn't be allowed access to the Tribunal?  I find this very strange.

The Tribunal said that I acted in bad faith because I had a "personal political manifesto".  That was the accusation made against me by CFO, but I don't remember agreeing to that accusation, so it seems the Tribunal leaped to assume CFO's accusation was true; no evidence required.  It appears that the Tribunal wants and expects me to be a cold fish, a dis-interested party, with no stake in the outcome.  To me, that doesn't make any sense whatsoever.  If fact, Section 16.(4).(c) of MAFRAA says that one of the reasons that the Tribunal can dismiss an appeal is that "the appellant has not a sufficient interest in the subject-matter of the appeal".  So the Tribunal dismisses my appeal because I'm too interested, but can dismiss my appeal because I have insufficient interest.  Appellants must need to be like Goldilocks, not too much, not too little, just the right amount of interest.  Sounds pretty arbitrary to me.

I asked in writing before the Tribunal got started, and was assured by the Tribunal's Administrator that the Tribunal would provide full written reasons for their decision.   At the very start of the hearing, I asked again, and the Tribunal Panel themselves again reassured me that they would be providing full written reasons for their decision. In spite of these assurances, the Tribunal's decision is scant on the reasons for their decision.  My budding understanding of court proceedings, based on what I've been told and read, is that the court's decision should speak to all of the arguments presented by both sides, clearly state whether the Tribunal agrees or disagrees with those arguments, and the reasons why.  For virtually all of my reasons and arguments presented, it seems the Tribunal ignored them, like they were never made.  The Tribunal's decision mentions just one of my arguments, but even there, it offers no reasons why it was dismissed.  With incomplete reasons, it is difficult to impossible to appeal the Tribunal's decision, as there is nothing to appeal.  There is no record kept of what was said during the appeal, so we can't even go there to fill the holes in the Tribunal's records.  Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that I got what I was promised.  The Tribunal seems like it's trying to hide in a fog of ambiguity they have purposefully created.

To see for yourself, here is the Tribunal's decision to dismiss our appeal before it gets started.

So you can see for yourself what the Tribunal is referring to, here are my arguments for allowing our appeal to go forward:

Appellant's Answer to Tribunal's Allegation and Threat to Dismiss our Appeal 
10 pages, 171 kB, Adobe Acrobat X pdf file

Appellant's Submission Brief (case law, statutes, regulations, documents, and 375 signatures on Petitions requesting the Tribunal to allow appeal to proceed to full hearing), 27.35 MB, 1,085 pages, Adobe Acrobat X pdf file.  (It a BIG file, so it takes a few minutes to download.  Be patient)

Here is CFO's submission to Tribunal in response to my Answer

Unlike our answer, CFO presented no facts, no legal references, no case law that supports their position.  All CFO did was issue 5 pages of rhetoric.

It appears that CFO's rhetoric is pretty powerful stuff, as it trumps a number of Supreme Court of Canada cases that supported our position.

I understand that I can ask the Tribunal for re-consideration of their decision.  My estimate of success is I'd have better luck buying a 6-4-9 ticket.

I can also ask the Minister of Agriculture to intercede.  Assessment of success?  I have no idea.  What are your thoughts?

If neither of these work, I can ask the ON Superior Court for a Judicial Review.  However, that puts me at risk for having costs awarded against me, perhaps risking thousands of dollars to pay for CFO's lawyers if I lose. Pretty risky step.

What do you think Small Flockers should do?

The Empire Strikes Back

The revised Notice of Appeal was published on the 17th of July, 2014 (see Blog posting Appeal #2 Submitted).  The Empire struck back on the 21st, just 4 days later.

Mr. D. Vader, consulting attorney for Chicken Farmers of Ontario

The last time Chicken Farmers of Ontario ("CFO") complained about my appeal, they were successful in limiting my appeal to just CFO's Small Flock Regulation.

The Empire (a.k.a  #ChickenMafia) didn't want to discuss the rights and freedoms of small flockers, the affordability of chicken, the superbugs and other noxious substances on the chicken produced by the #ChickenMafia, nor anything else.

In CFO's letter to the Tribunal, Darth Vader Geoffrey Spur complained about the revised appeal, and about the evidence presented in support of raising the small flock exemption from 300 to 2,000 birds.

It isn't clear to me what CFO thinks would be a reasonable and acceptable appeal.  CFO seems to want the appeal to be limited to "Please raise the limit from 300 to 2,000", with no reasons in support of this request  to be offered.

While CFO took 4 days to respond, I burned the midnight oil and got a Small Flocker response to CFO's complaint out the next day.

It will be interesting to see the Tribunal's response to these renewed complaints by CFO.

I have two burning questions:

1. When, if ever, do we get to the hearing of the appeal?
    
2. Luke Skywalker was shocked when he found out the truth about Darth Vader, so should I start to worry too about "Who's your Daddy?"

Hatchery Infects 126 Small Flockers

Unsafe Practice:  Image of infant kissing chick
at encouragement of adult.  This is a really bad
idea that could make the child seriously ill, leave
them chronically ill, or kill the child.

A mail-order hatchery that supplies chicks and ducklings has been identified by CDC as the source of the infection.  CDC states that this hatchery has been the source of previous outbreaks in the past, and has done it again, this time with salmonella (Strains Infantis and/or Newport).

US Government's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention report that a total of 126 people have been infected, 35% of those have been hospitalized, across 26 States, starting in Feb. 2014, and continuing till May 27th.  More cases may still be coming, as it takes 2 to 4 weeks for new cases to be reported.


Mt. Healthy Hatcheries, the hatchery fingered by CDC as the source of the outbreak, has been in business for 80 years.  They produce up to 200,000 chicks per week.  When the lawyers get done with them for this last outbreak, they might not be in business for much longer.

Mt. Healthy has published an explanation on their website, stating that they have suspended purchasing poultry chicks from one of its sub-contractor suppliers. Mt. Healthy claims they meet USDA Best Practices for controlling or preventing salmonella in hatcheries.  We might not know the true culprit for 10 years or more, possibly never.

It would be impossible for anybody, Small Flocker or otherwise, to determine if this was a "reputable dealer" for chicks, as suggested by CDC.  Therefore, Small Flockers should presume all chicks purchased are contaminated until proven otherwise.

Nobody, especially not children, should be allowed to nuzzle or kiss farm animals, chicken, or other poultry.  For safe handling of chicken and eggs, see here and here.

Recommendations

1. To protect your farm animals, you and any visitors (if you allow any) should wash your hands prior to going to see the animals, and wash again between different pens/barns of the same species, and/or between different species.
    
2. You should re-wash immediately after leaving the livestock area.
   
3. Nobody should be allowed on a farm tour or visit unless they have been warned about biosecurity in general, and these recommendations in specific, and they can control themselves so as not to touch any surfaces unless told it's OK to do so, and can avoid touching their face with their hands until after they have left the farm and re-washed their hands.
   
4. Small Flockers should only buy chicks from hatcheries that can prove they meet the USDA Best Management Practices Handbook A Guide to the Mitigation of Salmonella Contamination at Poultry Hatcheries, March 2014 version.
   
5. If you sell eggs or meat to others, your customers should be clearly and plainly warned of the risks, and precautions they should take to avoid becoming infected.

Perhaps Small Flockers can demonstrate how biosecurity excellence is achieved, something that the big factory farmers do not yet understand, and are far from achieving.

Rising Army of Small Flockers

Data squeezed out of the super secret CFO via CFO's Motion
to Dismiss hearing at OMAF Tribunal

Remember Edward Snowden and his release of Top Secret NSA info?

Today I feel like I've done the same to Chicken Farmers of Ontario.

At right is Top Secret info divulged by CFO in their Motion filed with OMAF's Tribunal.

I've previously worked with multi-nationals who treated everything as Top Secret so as to protect their technologies and competitive advantage.

To me, it seems CFO takes "Top Secret for Everything" way beyond even those corporation's level of arrogance, xenophobia, and paranoia.

I'm not sure why CFO released this info, but they did, so here it is for all the world to see.

It appears that Ontario's Small Flockers has grown way past our last reported strength of 13,000 quota-exempt chicken farmers.

The amalgamation and concentration of ownership of quota
is reducing the number of quota-bearing chicken farmers

There are now 15,129 Small Flockers in Ontario, increasing at an average rate of 11.6% per year for the last 4 years.

How does that compare to CFO's millionaire quota-based chicken farmers?  The number of members in CFO's exclusive club have been dropping since 2002.

I wonder why?

Is this resistance of Small Flockers legitimate complaints jealousy, fear, or spite by CFO and its dwindling members?

P.S.   Here is a copy of CFO's Motion to Dismiss, attempting to blow our appeal out of the water, preventing the public hearing of these important issues.

Guess why CFO wants to avoid the OMAF Tribunal, and keep everything Top Secret?

Small Flockers Theme Song

We now have our Small Flockers' theme song, thanks to Kathryn Thomson.  Give it a watch & listen:


If you are inspired by the words and/or music, feel free to write a song, poem, or Op-Ed piece.  We will publish it here, as it's all good.  This could be the start or re-birth of your celebrity status.

On our Small Flockers' YouTube channel, the video is described as follows:

SFPFC thanks Kathryn Thomson, a talented lady who put great effort into writing and performing this protest song for Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada.

This protest song for Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada, tells about the oppressive #ChickenMafia and Supply Management in Canada.

Health Canada reports that as a national average, 7.6% of Canadian families can't afford the food they need to feed their families.  In Nunavut (Canada's Far North), it's 28% of families.  On First Nations reserves, it's between 33% to over 50%.

In spite of these sad statistics, the #ChickenMafia, backed and emboldened by their chicken monopoly gifted to them by Canada's Federal and Provincial governments, charge Canadians 300% more for chicken in Canada than the same chicken available from the US or internationally.

We have a rising tide of epidemic diseases in Canada, such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol, Metabolic Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, stroke, etc.  All of these diseases and others are caused or contributed to by poor nutrition.  Healthy, nutritious food has become so expensive, it is no longer affordable, so people are forced to buy high carbohydrate, less nutritious foods.

Many factory farmers maximize their profits by growing their birds twice as fast as was done 50 years ago.  They have achieved these faster growth and higher profits by feeding their birds arsenic, banned antibiotics, antihistamines, Prozac-like psychotropic drugs, caffeine, and Tylenol.  The meat and fat (especially Omega-3:Omega-6 fatty acid ratios in the chicken) have been mutated for maximum profit, regardless of the impact these selfish changes have had on the nutrition and food quality.

The chicken processing plants used by the #ChickenMafia regularly contaminate the chickens during their high speed slaughtering.  Government studies have regularly found 30% to 80% of the chickens on retail meat counters are contaminated by salmonella, listeria, campylobacter, E.coli, and other pathogens.  50% of these contaminations are by Superbugs, that have antibiotic drug resistance; likely due to the #ChickenMafia feeding the chickens banned antibiotics.

The #ChickenMafia get richer and richer, while Canadians suffer more and more from unsafe, unhealthy, and unaffordable food.

There are about 35,000 small flock poultry farmers in Canada, but only 2,700 #ChickenMafia factory farmers.  Those #ChickenMafia have about 99.97% of the Canadian chicken market, using their government granted powers to squeeze and oppress the Small Flockers to just 0.03% market share.

Small Flockers, located throughout Canada, want to supply safe, locally grown, nutritious, affordable food for their families, friends, neighbours, and their community.

What's wrong with that?

To find out more, visit our Blog:   http://canadiansmallflockers.blogspot.ca

   

MG (Micoplasm Gallisepticum): Poultry Enemy #1

MG (Mycoplasm gallisepticum) is a major disease for turkeys, somewhat for chickens, costing the industry millions of dollars per year, but is off the radar in Canada, for both the #TurkeyMafia, the #ChickenMafia, and Small Flockers. Why?

In a 2005 USDA research report, MG was identified as the #1 mycoplasm disease in poultry.  The annual economic impact of MG infections in the United States was estimated at between $118 and $150 million for the layer industry alone in 1994.

For turkeys, BC has made MG a reportable disease, so as to allow neighbouring farms to be alerted so they can take additional biosecurity precautions.  While mycoplasms have a very limited life on surfaces, and can be somewhat easy to deactivate or kill, once a flock is infected, there is no known method to totally eradicate the disease.  The farm usually has to be totally de-populated, cleaned, disinfected, and left vacant for 6 weeks.  If not, the next flock will likely be infected as well.

World-wide, the interest in MG, as shown by Google search terms, began in March 2008, and has been steady since Aug. 2009.  In the USA, interest started in Nov 2009 and has been steady since Nov. 2010.  At least there is talk and growing awareness about MG outside Canada. Here are the search results on Google for the last 13 years:

Figure 1:  Insufficient searches on MG in Canada for Google Trends

In Canada, there is so little activity on MG, Google Trends is unable to provide search history trends on MG (same goes for a search for "Mycoplasm gallisepticum").

To see in greater detail, we had to go to Google Adwords Keyword Planner to see the activity in the last year.  In short, Figure 2 shows not much activity, just 10 to 50 searches per month within Canada.

Figure 2:  Google Adword KeywordPlanner shows just
10 to 50 searches on MG in Canada during the last year.

While few to nobody in Canada are seeking info on MG, would you guess that the governments and industry bureaucracies are hard at work on MG?

Nope.

Figure 3:  No mention of MG on Turkey Farmers of Canada website

An advanced Google search of website for Turkey Farmers of Canada finds nothing on MG (see Figure 2).  They are too busy celebrating their 40th anniversary to be worried about something messy like MG.  Party on!

How about Ontario Turkey Farmers website?

Figure 4:  Turkey Farmers of Ontario has nothing on MG

Nope. Wrong again.  Nothing on MG here either (see Figure 3).

BC?  BC is a pretty progressive place.  They got hit bad by Avian Influenza  a few years ago.  Surely they have something on MG too.

Figure 5:  BC Turkey website draws a blank on MG too

Nope.  BC Turkey Farmers draws a blank on MG too.  Lots of great recipes for turkey.  I guess that's where there focus lies.

Figure 6:   57 documents referencing MG on CFIA's website

CFIA.  Of course!  The Federal Government's font of all knowledge on infectious animal diseases.  The protector of our borders for import and export of animals.  Surely they are aware of MG, and have a huge system for protecting Canada and Canadians from MG.

A search of CFIA's website using Google's Advanced Search finally hits paydirt.  CFIA has 57 documents linked to MG.  Unfortunately, most of these documents are forms that Canadian Veterinarians can fill out about a planned export of Canadian eggs, chicks or birds to other countries.

For example, Taiwan wants a 6 months clean bill of health, including MG on all live bird imports coming into Taiwan.  The EU wants 6 weeks isolation and clean bill of health for MG and other avian diseases.

A quick scan of the list fails to shows anything of interest for detection, education, prevention, eradication, isolation, MG incidence rate, MG prevalence rates, geographical distribution, testing programs, or anything else on MG.

I wonder why?

There is an MG brochure produced by the BC Ministry of Agriculture  Seems like a pretty good brochure, a good starting point for building awareness.

Searching Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture's website, we turn up just 1 hit for MG. In this article, Martine Boulianne - Department of Clinical Sciences/University of Montreal claimed in Nov. 1999:

"Some vertically transmitted diseases of economical importance have been eradicated from commercial poultry flocks. These programs, established by the industry, have seen the disappearance of Salmonella gallinarum, Salmonella pullorum, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma synovia, and Mycoplasma meleagridis in all commercial poultry flocks. Mycoplasma synovia is the only mycoplasm that we very infrequently encounter in commercial laying hens."

Eureka!  Maybe this is a non-problem, solved long ago.  Maybe I have been crying wolf when the hide of the last wolf is already mounted and stuffed.

To confirm this assertion without objective evidence, I called Dr. Csaba Varga, Poultry Disease Specialist at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture.  Dr. Varga said MG is not a reportable disease in Ontario, so he is reluctant to instantly confirm eradication of MG in Ontario's commercial poultry flocks.  He promised to check with one of his colleagues, and get back to us.  We're standing by.

Since BC is very proactive on MG, I called Dr. Victoria Bowes, Poultry Specialists for BC's Ministry of Agriculture.  She confirmed that in 1996, there was a breakout of MG at a commercial turkey farm in BC (note that this 1996 is 3 years after the 1999 claim of eradication).  It was felt that the infection arrived via pigeons that were entering the commercial turkey barns due to a lack of screening, and the pigeons allegedly picked up the MG from nearby small flock poultry farm(s).  Dr. Bowes agreed that the pigeon and small flock vector theory was "wild speculation" by the commercial turkey industry, with no proof nor reasonable & probable grounds to lay those accusations; it was just a hunch on their part.  BC did make the disease reportable for commercial turkey flocks at the request of the industry at that time.

Dr. Bowes also informed us that all commercial breeders do control and monitoring for MG under NPIP (National Poultry Improvement Plan), so there is MG surveillance from Day 1 at flock of origin.  If & when a flock tests positive for MG, it is immediately taken out (ie. destroyed or sent to slaughter early before the losses mount), and the facilities are cleaned and re-filled with certified MG-free chicks.  To the best of Dr. Bowes knowledge, BC commercial turkey farms are MG-free.

Not so for small flocks.  Dr. Bowes estimates that 60% of small flocks in BC test positive for MG.  This is the "auction barn disease", where unknown, known, or suspect birds are exposed or traded to others, thereby spreading the infection.

BC has been highly subsidizing the testing of small flocks for MG.  BC has not yet been successful in passing obligations on to the small flock owners once they know their status.  Many people choose to not know, so they are under no moral or legal compulsion to act once they know their flock's true status.  I suggested that this sounds a lot like HIV testing in the 1990's.  Today, we have learned (or most of us have learned) not to be judgemental, but take a public policy of harm reduction for maximum effectiveness and minimizing the spread of the disease.  Dr. Bowes agreed.

Unfortunately, the low cost testing and education programs offered by BC have not yet caused the incidence rate of MG in backyard flocks to diminish.  Perhaps that's where we come in. Certainly, there are crusaders against MG out there.  This posting was prompted by a flurry of emails and Facebook messages between SFPFC and Funky Fowl Farms

Further research found scientific reports demonstrating that MG can also invade human cells when tested in vitro. In vivo (ie. a live human), this human infection with MG may be prevented by some unknown immune system response, but maybe not. Could indiscriminate use of antibiotics create an evolution of MG into a superbug?  Mycoplasms aren't bacteria, for example mycoplasms have no cell wall, and they are parasites on their host organism for 100% of their nutrients.  Nobody fully understands how they work, so maybe it's possible.  What we are sure of, is that allowing the MG prevalence to rise may eventually lead to a SARS-like or Avian Flu-like human epidemic.  It seems prudent to minimize the spread of MG.  Perhaps we need to take the same or similar approach we have for smallpox or TB, shooting for total eradication.

Other research reports say transmission to wild flocks is possible.  The pandemic, wide spread prevalence of MG in wild flocks is a different genetic strain that that in domestic poultry.  Vaccination and regular testing for MG may be prudent in that case. Both smallpox and TB were pandemic world-wide infections at one point, yet today, smallpox is eradicated, and TB is very close to being defeated.

It has been found that QAC (Quartenary ammonium compounds) are ineffective against MG, probably because QAC generally attacks cell walls, and mycoplasms have no cell wall.  I had suggested that hydrogen peroxide solutions after thorough cleaning may be the best method.  Dr. Bowes was unaware of this QAC report, and also unsure about hydrogen peroxide.

There are known tests for MG, using SPA, HI as well as PCR, and genome sequencing.  Are these recommended by CFIA, or Canada's Supply Management Mafia?  Is there a  testing program available?  In BC there is, what about the rest of Canada?  Unknown at this time.


Perhaps this is a golden opportunity for small flockers to partner with government and the Supply Management Mafia.  There are numerous case studies that show when people work on a project with a shared, common goal, there is a significant gain in understanding, acceptance, and teamwork.

Lord knows that Canada and all Canadians could benefit for lots more of that.

SFPFC is willing.  Are the other two groups willing?  If you are a member in giovernment and/or the Supply Management Mafia (or know somebody who is), perhaps you can share this posting and this offer with them, and ask them to participate.  A future career as a matchmaker could await you.

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2014/01/07 Addendum:  I have now emailed CFIA, and all of the commercial turkey marketing agencies and Boards across Canada, asking them where they stand and what they understand about MG ( see Email here ).  It should be interesting to see what they say, if anything at all.  Be warned, the Supply Management Mafia tends to stonewall, deny, and ignore questions that they don't like.  Maybe they will have turned over a new wing feather, just for MG and my questions.  We'll have to wait and see.

2014/01/12 Addendum:   Susan Tritt, from Funky Fowl Farm, is an advocate for an intensive approach against MG.  Susan notes:

2013/10/30 1:06 PM   "Unfortunately the only vaccine available in Canada only works to suppress the disease. It doesn't actually kill the organism, so you are still left with the probability of depopulation. The other issue with the vaccine is that it only comes in 1000 dose size. So not suited for small flock farmers."

2014/01/11 11:06 PM   "An update on the vaccine. It is no longer available in Canada. The drug company that holds the distributorship did not make enough money on it so they will no longer produce it. I'm happy to report that we have finished testing our flock [at her farm], and can say that we are MG free."

2014/01/11 11:22 PM   "Read your blog [this Blog posting]. Fabulous write up. Hopefully we can encourage others to test. The only thing I would add to your information is that, you can treat sick birds, and they can appear well again, but they will always be carriers and are prone to reoccurances of illness, and are always shedding the organism and infecting new flock members."