Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) President Mary Robinson has written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the flooding in BC.
"We're asking the government to recognize this and to make sure that animal feed is given priority, once we get those routes into BC by road and rail," commented Robinson.
CFA is also asking the government to quickly trigger AgriRecovery.
Below is a copy of the letter sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,
I am writing this letter on behalf of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, which represents over 200,000 farm families across Canada. The recent flooding of the Fraser Valley and surrounding areas has created a feed and animal welfare crisis for poultry and livestock in British Columbia that requires immediate attention.
The flooding has forced many farmers to evacuate with their animals and abandon their food and water supplies. To add onto this, with all major routes into the province being impacted by the flooding, there is little ability to move feed into the province from outside sources. Efforts to re-route ingredients through the US has not proven successful as the infrastructure of those routes has also been compromised.
This has created a massive feed crisis for the region, which could have long-term consequences for animal welfare and the food supply. Without the ability to obtain feed, many farmers will be forced to depopulate their herds and flocks.
That is why we are reaching out to strongly urge immediate action, with co-operation from all levels of government, to quickly address the declining feed supplies and feed ingredients.
The BC feed industry needs priority access to grains and meal from the Port of Vancouver as well as priority road access to allow farmers to receive deliveries of feed. Many farmers we are speaking to have already run out of what little feed they managed to take with them. We cannot stress the urgency of this situation enough, as a small delay could have long-term impacts for these herds and flocks, and the situation is quickly becoming dire
Thank you,
Mary Robinson
President
Canadian Federation of Agriculture
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