The Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board’s directors
have approved a specialty-breeds program.
The approval comes days before the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal is scheduled to hold public hearings
into a complaint by small-volume processors that the marketing board has failed
to implement its specialty-markets policy adopted last year.
The board says the new policy will be limited to two breeds –
Special Dual Purpose chickens from Frey’s Hatchery in St. Jacobs and Silkies.
Both are to be processed with head and feet left on to serve
the Asian market. That market was pioneered by Cami International Poultry Inc.
of Welland, but it was frozen out of chicken supplies by other policy moves the
Ontario and Quebec chicken marketing boards implemented two years ago.
The board says it is now accepting applications from farmers
to grow the specialty breeds next year.
In the interim, existing producers have been able to legally
grow the birds for two processors in Wellington County. Apparently some of
those producers were violating the board’s policy that forbid farmers from
raising more than 300 birds per year without holding marketing-board quota;
that policy is also under challenge.
Board chairman Henry Zantingh says "the specialty breeds
chicken program provides a significant growth opportunity for the Ontario
chicken industry. Ontario's demographics are changing rapidly and the demand
for different types of chicken has been growing as well."
The board’s chief executive and chief operating officer, Rob
Dougans, says "while Silkies and Frey's Special Dual Purpose chicken
breeds have been available for sale in Ontario for some time, the market for
these products has been underdeveloped.
"Providing business opportunities for those interested
in meeting these markets will better serve specialty breed consumers and create
new growth opportunities for the Ontario chicken industry."
