Feds grant $2 million for bison recovery

The federal government is giving $2 million to the Indigenous Prairie Bison initiative to support its efforts towards recovery of bison.

The National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food will administer the program.

Kallie Wood, president and chief executive officer, said “the return of the buffalo is more than an agricultural opportunity: it is a healing opportunity.

She said Indigenous Peoples have always held deep relationships with the buffalo as teachers, providers, and protectors. 

And she said this initiative ensures that communities have the tools, knowledge, and partnerships needed to build sustainable bison herds for food sovereignty, cultural revitalization, and economic independence. 

The NCIAF is honoured to help lead this work alongside our federal partners and, most importantly, with the communities who have asked for this support, she said.

The program involves training and mentorship programs for emerging and existing bison producers; business planning and feasibility supports tailored to community-based learning opportunities for youth, elders, and producers; knowledge sharing and networking activities, including support for a Prairie-wide Learning Herd Network, and connections to funding programs, financing pathways, and technical expertise to help

communities build sustainable operations.

Moonfleet dodges $10,000 fine

 

Moonfleet Poultry Inc. of Harriston persuaded the Canadian Agriculture Review Tribunal to cancel a $10,000 penalty the Canadian Food inspection Agency said it intended to issue against the company.

Testimony indicated that about 182 chickens were dead on arrival at a Cargill processing plant about an hour after 3,462 chickens were loaded at a farm near Tavistock.

Because it was hot, a third of the crates on the Moonfleet truck were left empty.

The CFIA veterinarian blamed the hot weather for the death of the chickens and accused the company of inhumane treatment.

But two other veterinarians, one of them at the Cargill plant, said the primary cause of death was chronic long-term heart conditions and viral challenges which were exacerbated by heat stress.

Geneviève Parent decided that the CFIA failed to establish, on a balance of probabilities, that the birds that Moonfleet loaded were likely to suffer, sustain an injury, or die due to inadequate ventilation or by being exposed to meteorological or environmental conditions. The violation is not established.

It is the third case this year that Moonfleet has earned either a reduced penalty or cancellation of a CFIA fine after appealing to the tribunal.