|
 Now in its 22nd
year, the Ontario
Farm Animal Council
continues to work with
its founding member
organizations,
including the Ontario
Cattlemen’s Association, and its sister groups across Canada
to advance responsible farm animal care practices on
livestock
farms and to show consumers how farm animals are raised.
Here are some highlights from 2009:
Advancing Responsible Farm Animal Care:
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In May, OFAC brought
internationally-renowned animal
behavioural scientist, Dr. Temple Grandin, to Guelph to
offer
a humane farm animal handling workshop for staff working
at
meat processing plants. This half-day practical training
forum
focused on the humane handling and stunning of
livestock.
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OFAC’s Livestock Transportation
Specialist, Dave O’Rourke,
has begun offering Certified Livestock Transport (CLT)
courses.
The course is a common sense, fact-based approach to
giving
professional livestock transport drivers the information
and
tools they need to safely and humanely transport
livestock in
Canada. A growing number of Ontario’s transport
companies
are registering their drivers for the program.
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OFAC hosted and coordinated two sold
out “Livestock
Transportation Emergency” courses in Mississauga and
Brampton for 75 police, firefighters and OSPCA
officials.
OFAC continues to coordinate these courses for first
responders for livestock transportation emergencies and
barn
fires.
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In 2009, OFAC responded to 16
Helpline calls across the
province – 12 of which related to beef cattle farms.
With
assistance from several OCA Advisory Councillors, each
location was visited to ensure the animals’ well being.
In
several cases, recommendations were made for
improvements
to the animals’ welfare. The Helpline is a confidential
“farmer
helping farmer” approach of advice and referral on
animal
care and provides a confidential way for people to
report
situations of farm animals that they feel require better
care or
for farmers themselves to call if they need some help.
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OFAC’s Farm Animal Needs Advisor,
Bill Lowe, spent a great
deal of time on the road in 2009 addressing animal care
issues. Among his accomplishments were more than 100
visits
to sales barns, producer meetings and responding to
helpline
calls as well as several days of calls and farm-animal
training
with OPSCA inspectors.
Public Education:
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A total of 6,500 copies of the “2010
Faces of Farming
Calendar”, featuring beef farmer Bryce Haakesteegt of
Brighton in Northumberland County were printed and
mailed
to politicians (federal, provincial and municipal),
media,
grocery stores and butcher shops. The calendar continues
to be a great positive news story for Ontario
agriculture,
generating more than 50 media stories. OFAC appreciates
the support of the Beef Information Centre for
sponsoring this
calendar page.
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OFAC and its sister group AGCare
continue to work to build
relationships with Ontario media. To date staff have met
with reporters, editors, producers and journalists from
more
than a dozen media outlets right across the province –
from
London to Ottawa – to introduce the two organizations
and
let them know that we are here if they need help
covering an
agricultural story.
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OFAC and AGCare also launched a new
Website called
“Farming Sources” to help media find the right source of
information for their stories. It is searchable by
organization
and by topic and also features an ongoing index of
current
Ontario agriculture news stories from AGCare and OFAC’s
members.
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In 2009, four culinary colleges
accepted OFAC’s offer of
organizing free farm tours for their students. The goal
of
the program is to give them some critical thinking
skills in
exploring where the products come from that they are
working
with in their schools’ kitchens. Students from Fanshawe
College
in London, Sir Sandford Fleming College in Peterbourough,
Humber College in Toronto and Algonquin College in
Ottawa
all participated in the 2009 tours with meals provided
by
Savour Ontario.
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Almost two years in development, the
Ontario Farm Animal
Council’s (OFAC) new interactive exhibit, FarmzOnWheelz,
was unveiled to the public last summer. Designed and
built by
the Ontario Science Centre, FarmzOnWheelz helps
teenagers
and their families get an up-close and personal look at
what’s
cool about farming. From “Farming Fuels the Future” to
“What’s On Your Plate”, visitors can experience for
themselves
how science and technology impacts agriculture through
visiting the 400 square foot exhibit.
Providing Expertise and Leadership on
Animal Agriculture Issues:
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The credible voices of farmers and
other advocates for
responsible animal care often get lost in the swirling
animal
welfare debate. But Canada’s farm animal councils, led
by
OFAC, are working to change that with a newly-launched
blog entitled “Let’s Talk Farm Animals.” The site aims
to set
the record straight on animal welfare issues by
providing the
public with access to accurate information from
veterinarians,
farmers, researchers and the media.
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With the help of urban media
specialist and media
trainer, Wallace Pidgeon, OFAC and AGCare offered 13
spokesperson training sessions across the province for
more
than 100 farmers in 2009 to help participants feel more
comfortable with answering questions and dealing with
the
media. More are being offered this winter.
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On behalf of its members, OFAC was
active in consultations
with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs
leading up to the introduction of Bill 204 (the Animal
Health
Act) last October. OFAC was also among the organizations
that appeared before the Standing Committee of the
Legislative
Assembly to present recommendations regarding the Act
which
passed third reading before Christmas. OFAC has now
asked
to be part of the consultation process as regulations
related to
farm animals under the new Act are developed.
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Farm fires are always devastating
events and having livestock
or poultry on those farms increases the challenge. OFAC
continues its work on livestock emergencies and in 2009
issued a brochure called “Dealing with the Aftermath of
a
Livestock or Poultry Barn Fire”. The document identifies
issues
that producers will need to address when dealing with a
fire.
The brochure can be downloaded off the OFAC Website at
www.ofac.org Click on the Issues Centre, Animal Care and
then Animal Care Resources. Hard copies can also be
ordered
by calling the OFAC office.
About OFAC
The Ontario Farm Animal Council is a
non-profit educational
coalition. At the time of its formation in 1988, it was the
first
of its kind in North America but now has sister groups
across
Canada (including a new one formed in British Columbia in
2009) and the US.
OFAC’s mandate is to be the responsible voice of animal
agriculture, providing facts and addressing issues such as
animal care, food safety and the environment. OFAC operates
with a volunteer Board of Directors (including a
representative
from OCA), 2.5 full-time employees, and contract staff.
OFAC is proud of how much we accomplish with a limited
budget and a coordinated approach. As one of OFAC’s seven
founding members, we appreciate the Ontario Cattlemen’s
Association’s support of our efforts. |
