Ontario - A turkey of a decision

[AlaskaDenise]

Many consumers are looking towards free-range or organic poultry production. It is a growing niche market that many family farmers are entering to provide a product to citizens who often will not normally buy poultry products.

Given the choice between conventional poultry production there are a significant number of consumers who will choose not to buy poultry products if their only option is conventionally raised birds.

There is no right and wrong here. Some people prefer Ford over Chrysler or Coke over Pepsi. The simple fact is that there is a market there and it would be foolish for the powers to be to throw that market away for farmers who could fill it.

Matthew Dick, a Turkey farmer from Grey County has run afoul of the marketing board for Turkey - The Turkey Farmers of Ontario. His family's 'crime' - they want to raise their turkeys so that they have outside access. Dick believes, with some evidence, that poultry raised outside have a better immune system and provide a different taste for his customers. It is a recipe that many farmers who raise chickens for meat and eggs have been following for a long time as well. He is serving a market that wants his products.

To be fair, the Turkey Farmers of Ontario are trying to deal with concerns around avian influenza. The thing is, though, there is little credible analysis that links free range poultry to the spread of avian influenza. In fact, there are studies that have shown that it is in the footprint of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Cambodian massive commercial poultry operations (that do not follow the kinds of rules farmers here follow) that avian influenza seems to take hold.

To get an idea of the size of these outfits think of the largest poultry barn you have seen then double it and then triple it. It is in cramped conditions these chickens are raised and they are a breeding ground for cross infections. That is the real story, not the outdoor markets you see in the news.

Despite all of this, Dick is facing either the end of the market of his turkeys, or huge costs to construct indoor facilities. Recently Dick lost at a tribunal hearing where he was hoping to maintain his right to raise turkeys with outside access. Dick has one opportunity to overturn this wrong-headed direction. His only recourse at this point is to appeal directly to Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Leona Dombrowsky.

If you raise turkeys, chickens, layers or any other poultry for market, or want to eat poultry or eggs raised this way, this decision could have far reaching impact on you. Right now this is about turkeys, but it does not take much imagination to see the potential for this to spread elsewhere.

You can reach Minister Dombrowsky at minister@omaf.gov.on.ca. State your support for Matthew Dick and concern with this decision. Ask her to support Dick's appeal. Please add any personal thoughts you might have on the impact of such a decision standing. The NFU would recommend a subject line such as Matthew Dick Turkey Board Decision.

Dick's appeal is taking place very soon, so please take a few moments today to follow through. If this decision stands you might come to personally regret putting it off and forgetting about it.

http://www.allistonherald.com/allistonherald/article/126561

[cartski]

Re: Ontario - A turkey of a decision

The H7 outbreak in Regina Beach is an example of the risks involved:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=102592&postcount=13

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Ontario - A turkey of a decision

The mentality that certain problems only exist "over there" or in less-developed countries, is always dangerous yet prevalent.

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[cartski]

Re: Ontario - A turkey of a decision

The dark side of 'free-range' chickens
CARLY WEEKS

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

January 15, 2009 at 9:29 AM EST

Ordering free-range chicken at a restaurant may make you feel good, but it turns out you may not be doing the birds any favour.

Uncaged chickens are exposed to higher levels of bacteria, parasites and viruses that put them at greater risk for disease and infection compared with their caged counterparts, new research from Sweden's national veterinary institute shows..

Chickens not kept in cages are often housed in shelters where the floor doubles as a giant litter box. As a result, hens have direct contact with bacteria and microorganisms that grow in the litter, which can greatly increase health risks, said the study, available on BioMed Central's journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica.

"We found that there was a higher occurrence of bacterial diseases, parasite disease in birds housed in the litter-based systems," said Oddvar Fossum, assistant state veterinarian at Sweden's National Veterinary Institute.

Exacerbating the problem is that hundreds of uncaged chickens are often kept in close quarters, allowing disease and infection to spread quickly.

Housing a large population of uncaged birds in close proximity also leads to increased incidences of pecking, which can result in disease or death.

While common wisdom suggests chickens are healthier and happier out of cages, that may not be accurate, said Trevor Smith, an animal and poultry science professor at the University of Guelph.

"It's just the opposite," he said. "It's actually more benign than one might think to have the birds in cages."

Although the term "free-range" is not legally defined in Canada, it generally means birds have some access to the outdoors. Uncaged chickens can include free-range and non-free-range.

Demand for free-range chicken has been growing in Canada in recent years as more consumers demanded more ethical treatment of animals.

But partly because of Canada's harsh winters, which make it difficult to let chickens outside, only a small percentage of chickens raised here are truly free-range. But nearly all chickens being raised for meat in Canada are uncaged and housed in a litter-based system, according to Lisa Bishop-Spencer, manager of communications for Chicken Farmers of Canada, which represents about 2,800 producers.

Sweden banned the use of cages for chickens in 1988. Now, 60 per cent of chickens in that country are raised in litter-based systems, while the remaining 40 per cent are in "furnished" cages, which are larger than conventional ones and provide room for activities such as nesting and perching. Similar systems have emerged throughout Europe and North America, though litter-based systems have become one of the most common ways to house flocks.

Dr. Fossum and his colleagues began the study after noticing increased demand for necropsy, or autopsies, on laying hens between 2001 and 2004, when many producers switched from conventional cages to litter-based or other more humane housing. They studied necropsy results of 914 hens from 172 different flocks.

Bacterial diseases, particularly those caused by E.coli, were the most common cause of death among all chickens included in the study. About 73 per cent of litter-based flocks and 74 per cent of free-range flocks were infected with bacterial diseases, compared with 65 per cent of caged flocks.

Parasitic diseases such as coccidiosis were found in 23 of 129 litter-based flocks, including five of the 23 free-range flocks included in the study. Only two of 20 caged flocks were infected with parasitic diseases.

Viral diseases infected 15 litter-based flocks, one free-range flock and six caged flocks, according to the study.

Meanwhile, cannibalism, or pecking, was noted in 24 litter-based flocks, six free-range flocks and one caged flock.

Canadian chicken farmers follow national safety guidelines and mitigate disease risk by changing the litter and sanitizing the facility after a flock leaves for slaughter, Ms. Bishop-Spencer said.

She also said government officials inspect chickens before they're processed to check for infection and disease.

The organization hasn't heard reports of bacterial infection or other disease among chickens housed in litter-based systems, she said.

Dr. Fossum said more research should be done to determine the risks of litter-based housing, and how to decrease the chance of bacterial infection or other disease. He said Swedish health officials have begun vaccinating and using some medicine to stop the spread of disease.

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Ontario - A turkey of a decision

What is the status on safety of free-range produced eggs?

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