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Shortage of broiler chicks this spring in the Maritimes
Nadia Gaudreau
Posted yesterday at 11:34 AM
Small poultry farmers in the Maritime provinces are facing a shortage of eggs and broiler chicks this spring due to avian flu outbreaks on U.S. farms.
Approximately 20% of the poultry consumed in Canada comes from eggs imported from the United States.
Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia president Amy VanderHeide says fewer broiler eggs are available this year for small farmers.
There is a shortage here in Nova Scotia and elsewhere in Canada , she observes.
Tim Levangie owns Thyme of Ewe Farm in Millville and typically buys 1,400 chickens each year. He recently learned that his spring order couldn't be delivered.
It's 30% of our income [...] it makes us think about whether we want to continue raising chickens , he said.
Distribution problems
At the Southeast Farmers Co-op Country in Moncton, customers have been notified that scheduled chick deliveries for April and May have been cancelled, representing approximately 1,500 birds.
We order from a distributor in New Brunswick, but they source from the United States and have informed us that they will not be able to fulfill our orders , explains manager Heather Mitton .
For the moment, the distribution of laying hen chicks is not affected, says Ms. Mitton.
Westco, located in Saint-François, in northwestern New Brunswick, imports very few American eggs for its production. We are quite self-sufficient [...] We should be able to get through the crisis , assures its general manager Thomas Soucy.
However, due to the shortage, the New Brunswick company will focus its distribution of fertile eggs on commercial businesses, and less on small backyard breeders, as was the case in previous years.
In Prince Edward Island, Sally Bernard, owner of Barnyard Organics in Freetown , is also wondering how she will be able to source her produce.
Everyone is trying to find alternatives, but they don't exist , explains the woman who raises an average of 300 chickens a year for consumption.
I'm desperately looking. I may have found a source of supply in Quebec, but I'm not counting on it too much, because they give priority to large farms , she laments.
Hope for the coming months
There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel, believes Any VanderHeide , as ranchers in the United States work to rebuild their flocks.
It's promising. We should have a breeding season. It might just be delayed.
At the Moncton store, Heather Mitton also says birds could be delivered this fall. But that depends on whether or not the farms are affected by avian flu , she adds.
With information from CBC
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/fr/nouvelle/2152788/grippe-aviaire-poussins-producteurs-canada
Shortage of broiler chicks this spring in the Maritimes
Nadia Gaudreau
Posted yesterday at 11:34 AM
Small poultry farmers in the Maritime provinces are facing a shortage of eggs and broiler chicks this spring due to avian flu outbreaks on U.S. farms.
Approximately 20% of the poultry consumed in Canada comes from eggs imported from the United States.
Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia president Amy VanderHeide says fewer broiler eggs are available this year for small farmers.
There is a shortage here in Nova Scotia and elsewhere in Canada , she observes.
Tim Levangie owns Thyme of Ewe Farm in Millville and typically buys 1,400 chickens each year. He recently learned that his spring order couldn't be delivered.
It's 30% of our income [...] it makes us think about whether we want to continue raising chickens , he said.
Distribution problems
At the Southeast Farmers Co-op Country in Moncton, customers have been notified that scheduled chick deliveries for April and May have been cancelled, representing approximately 1,500 birds.
We order from a distributor in New Brunswick, but they source from the United States and have informed us that they will not be able to fulfill our orders , explains manager Heather Mitton .
For the moment, the distribution of laying hen chicks is not affected, says Ms. Mitton.
Westco, located in Saint-François, in northwestern New Brunswick, imports very few American eggs for its production. We are quite self-sufficient [...] We should be able to get through the crisis , assures its general manager Thomas Soucy.
However, due to the shortage, the New Brunswick company will focus its distribution of fertile eggs on commercial businesses, and less on small backyard breeders, as was the case in previous years.
In Prince Edward Island, Sally Bernard, owner of Barnyard Organics in Freetown , is also wondering how she will be able to source her produce.
Everyone is trying to find alternatives, but they don't exist , explains the woman who raises an average of 300 chickens a year for consumption.
I'm desperately looking. I may have found a source of supply in Quebec, but I'm not counting on it too much, because they give priority to large farms , she laments.
Hope for the coming months
There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel, believes Any VanderHeide , as ranchers in the United States work to rebuild their flocks.
It's promising. We should have a breeding season. It might just be delayed.
At the Moncton store, Heather Mitton also says birds could be delivered this fall. But that depends on whether or not the farms are affected by avian flu , she adds.
With information from CBC
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/fr/nouvelle/2152788/grippe-aviaire-poussins-producteurs-canada