The Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board has signed an
agreement to share information with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to
control disease outbreaks.
The agreement limits the CFIA to using the chicken-board
data only for disease control purposes.
The chicken board says on its website that it’s the first
agreement of its kind.
The chicken board has data on not only its quota-holding members, but also hundreds of small flock owners who are registered with the board.
Last year two Oxford County turkey farms and one hatching
egg farm were hit by outbreaks of avian influenza thought to be carried by
migrating ducks and/or geese.
The entire poultry industry went on high alert, working
through a joint command centre and sharing information with the CFIA.
"This ground breaking agreement
represents several years of work by the respective staffs of the two
organizations," said Henry Zantingh, chairman of Chicken Farmers of
Ontario.
"It is also recognition of the
importance of active communication and cooperation between the government and
industry in dealing with disease management in the poultry industry."
The chicken board says “the detailed
production information data bases utilized within the poultry supply management
system are invaluable for identifying affected flocks, providing detailed
mapping of farm locations and helping disease spread control measures to
maintain business continuity during an outbreak.”
Chicken board president and chief
executive officer Rob Dougans said "this agreement helps advance CFO's
enterprise risk management framework and will enhance our ability to plan our
mitigation strategies in the future."
