Latest news with #poultryFarming
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
B.C.'s farmers lost $457M in 2024, the most in Canada
British Columbia farmers lost $456.9 million in 2024, according to Statistics Canada, with a lobby group saying there are multiple reasons the province's agricultural sector suffered the largest net loss in Canada last year. Statistics Canada data shows that B.C. farms, as a whole, haven't turned a profit since 2017, and the farm sector has seen a larger net loss every year since 2020. The B.C. Agriculture Council said the cost to find suitable agricultural land is prohibitively high in B.C., and the average farmer in the Lower Mainland is carrying millions of dollars in debt. In addition, a series of climate disasters have wreaked havoc on B.C. farms, including the 2021 floods in the Fraser Valley that affected 1,100 farms and led to more than 60,000 hectares of farmland being lost, according to Jennifer Woike, the president of the agriculture council. The council is asking the government to increase its compensation programs for those affected by climate disasters, as well as updating the province's 52-year-old Agriculture Land Reserve (ALR) to ensure farms can survive in the decades to come. "B.C. is the most expensive province to farm in in Canada," said Woike, who owns a Vancouver Island farm that primarily deals with egg-laying poultry. Woike said one of the biggest hurdles for the sustainability of farms, especially for farmers who don't have intergenerational wealth and land to rely on, is the cost of land. "You can't just build a poultry farm on a five-acre parcel of land. It doesn't fit," she said. "So finding those large acreages are few and far between, and they are expensive." Climate change, tariffs latest hurdles Woike said climate change was a "whole chapter" unto itself when it came to how farmers in the province have struggled with profitability. In 2021, an unprecedented heat dome led to fruit crops being "cooked" on the branch in the Okanagan and Fraser valleys, followed by thousands of crops being submerged by floods in the fall. Two years after that, the province saw its worst drought and wildfire seasons in recorded history. In 2024, a historic cold snap led to the destruction of a year's worth of crops in some areas. Woike said she appreciates the province's climate mitigation and disaster relief programs, but the application processes were often bogged down in bureaucracy. "Those programs were not designed to make the farmer whole. You know, sometimes they only cover up to 70 per cent of the losses," she said. WATCH | Cold snap devastates fruit vines: A new hurdle facing farmers this year is the prospect of U.S. tariffs — with Woike saying B.C. farmers are reliant on imports, as the province simply doesn't produce the right kind of fertilizers and pest control products that farmers need. "Disruptions to those global supply chains, since the pandemic, have increased these costs anywhere from 30 per cent to as much as 100 per cent," she said. Province working to update ALR In addition to asking the government to increase compensation rates for climate disaster relief programs, Woike said she'd like the government to update the ALR. The program was established in 1973 to protect land with prime agricultural conditions for farming and ranching. It currently protects approximately 4.6 million hectares of arable land in B.C., and Woike said she'd like to see it updated. "The ALR itself ensures that there's still hope for future generations to be able to afford farmland — because it is preserved just for farms. That is super important," Woike said. In a statement, B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said the province is working together with farmers to build a sustainable food system in B.C. "I have heard from farmers and producers about the challenges they have been dealing with, including high costs, climate impacts, intensified global competition, access to labour and the potential impact of tariffs," she said. "Earlier this year, we responded to an industry request and set up a new Premier's Task Force that is working on the most pressing issues for the agriculture and food sector including profitability and competitiveness." The B.C. government said it provided $175 million to tree fruit growers through climate-related financial assistance programs between 2020 and March 2024, and also designed specific recovery programs for large-scale climate disasters. It added that it is advocating for changes at the federal level to ensure funding can be distributed to farmers more easily during disaster situations. "The B.C. government supports increasing food production in the ALR," a ministry spokesperson said. "We also know there is a need for more land to do processing, and we are actively working on a renewed inventory of the ALR so we can make better policy decisions supporting agriculture."
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NEW STUDY IDENTIFIES ADDITIONAL LINKS BETWEEN POULTRY ANTIBIOTIC USE AND HUMAN DRUG RESISTANCE
Ionophores, Commonly Used in Animal Agriculture, Found to Contribute to Antibiotic Resistance in Humans Salisbury, MD, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new study, published in mSphere, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, suggests some antibiotics used in conventional poultry farming may contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance in humans. This research, conducted by Dr. Alex Wong, Asalia Ibrahim and Jason Au of Carleton University's Department of Biology, focuses on ionophores, a class of antibiotics commonly used in conventional poultry farming and previously described as 'not important to human medicine.' 'This research underscores the importance of understanding the interconnectedness of animal and human health,' explains Dr. Alex Wong. 'While ionophores have long been considered safe for use in poultry to prevent parasitic infections, this study suggests that ionophore use could fuel the growth of antibiotic resistance to medically relevant drugs.' This study highlights the ongoing research and critical discussion about responsible antibiotic use in animal agriculture, showcasing the potentially negative long-term human and animal health effects of using antibiotics in animal production, even those not presently deemed 'important to human medicine." The study found: Bacterial pathogens around the world have genes (narA and narB) that allow them to resist ionophores. These genes are often found linked to other resistance genes that protect bacteria from human antibiotics. When ionophores are used, they can unintentionally encourage bacteria to carry both types of resistance – making them harder to kill with medicines we need and increasing the risk of clinically significant antimicrobial resistance spreading from animal agriculture to human healthcare systems. The study's findings contribute to the ongoing scientific conversation about antibiotic resistance and inform future research and policy decisions and provides evidence that the widespread use of ionophores potentially threaten human health. 'This study surprised me. Personally, I've been dismissing the use of ionophores for years because we didn't have this evidence. This study suggests that it could be driving resistance to the drugs we do care about. When animal producers use ionophores they can drive the growth of bacteria that are resistant to our most important medicines,' Lance Price, M.S. Ph.D., Professor at George Washington's (GW) Milken Institute School of Public Health and Founding Director of GW's Antibiotic Resistance Action Center. Perdue Takes No Chances with Animal or Human Health, Standing Firm on Its Decade-Long 'No Antibiotics Ever' Commitment Ionophore use in poultry has been on the rise after a reintroduction of usage by large producers—with some poultry companies relying on routine use of the drug class for preventing illness. However, Perdue Farms took a trailblazing approach by committing to No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) in 2016, shunning the use of all antibiotics including ionophores. Perdue Farms remains committed to its No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) program. 'We started our NAE transition initially due to consumer demand, however with time we have seen, and appreciate, the animal welfare and human health benefits of this approach,' states Dr. Bruce Stewart-Brown, DVM, Chief Science Officer at Perdue Farms. 'For a decade now, our No Antibiotics Ever commitment has reflected our belief that what's good for the bird is also good for people– and this study confirms that belief is well-founded. At the end of the day, it's a promise that gives consumers peace of mind and sets a higher standard for responsible poultry production.' This research was funded by the Canadian Government, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Perdue Farms. Learn more about the study and Perdue Farms' commitment to NAE at For media interested, there will be a virtual briefing today, June 25, at 10 AM ET. You can join that briefing using this link starting at 10 AM ET, or reach out to for more detail. ### About Perdue FarmsWe're a fourth-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services. Perdue Foods consists of a premium protein portfolio, including our flagship PERDUE® brand, Niman Ranch®, Coleman Natural®, Pasturebird®, and Yummy®, as well as our pet brands, Full Moon® and Spot Farms®, and is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, Perdue AgriBusiness is a leading merchandiser, processor, and exporter of agricultural products and the largest U.S. manufacturer of specialty, organic, and non-GMO oils. It also ranks as one of the largest suppliers of organic feed ingredients in the world. Now in our company's second century, we never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever and in USDA-certified organic proteins. Learn more at Attachment Ionophores Report Infographic CONTACT: Kerri McClimen Perdue Farms
