Update on Chicken Issues
February, 2008 from Chicken Farmers of Ontario
Who can grow 300 chickens?
A person in Ontario who submits a Form 300 may be entitled, as an exempt grower, to grow up to 300 chickens for home consumption or for on-farm sale direct to consumers, without quota. This exemption is limited to 300 chickens per premise, each year.
Can I grow more than 300 chickens if I do it in different locations?
No. Only 300 chickens may be grown per person per premise. Once a premise has been used to grow 300 chicken it cannot be used again by any person to grow chicken in the calendar year.
Why is this called an exemption?
Growers who are entitled to grow up to 300 chickens for home consumption and on-farm sale direct to consumers are exempt from the requirement to hold quota.
Is there a limit to the total number of exempt growers in 2008?
CFO reserves the right to limit the number of exempt growers, but it is not anticipated that a limit will be required for 2008. If the Board elects to place a limit, advance notice will be provided through the CFO website.
Do I have to apply to be an Exempt Grower?
No. You do not have to register in advance. When submitting your Form 300, it automatically registers you as an Exempt Grower.
How do I get a Form 300?
Form 300 is available from your broker dealer or hatchery. Form 300s will be distributed to broker dealers and hatcheries by CFO, in January 2008.
What do I do if the Form 300 is not yet available?
For 2008 only, CFO will accept unsigned Form 36s if the Form 300 is not yet available through your hatchery or broker dealer.
What is the process for using a Form 300?
The Form 300 is a four-part form that must be completed at the time of sale of the chicks. A copy of the signed and completed Form 300 is attached to a Weekly Broiler Placement Report (Form 1B) and forwarded to the CFO office by the hatchery or broker dealer. The chick purchaser (exempt grower) is then provided with a copy of the completed Form 300 at the time of sale. An exempt grower must present the Form 300 to the processor prior to chicken processing.
Are there any fees payable to CFO to be an exempt grower?
No. During the 2008 calendar year, there will be no administrative or service fees payable by exempt growers. CFO intends to study the program and may decide to impose administrative or service fees in future years.
Can someone else grow chickens on my premises after I have done so?
No. Only 300 chickens may be grown per location.
Can I advertise to sell my chickens?
Advertising is only allowed on-farm where the chicken is sold. No other type of advertising is allowed.
Can I sell my chickens at my local Farmers Market or to a distributor?
No. Sales and marketing of chicken off-farm is not permitted and must be sold on-farm directly to the consumer.
Why do I have to complete a Form 300?
The Form 300 properly completed by the exempt grower, authorizes the exempt grower to produce and market 300 chickens in the year.
Do I have to sign a Form 300?
Yes. You must sign the Form 300 verifying that the information that you have provided is correct.
Can I market chickens live at the farm gate?
No. The selling of live chicken is not permitted to maintain bio-security, traceability of live birds, food safety and animal welfare.
Where can I get a copy of the CFIA Bird Health Basics guide?
The guide, dealing with prevention and disease detection of backyard flocks and pet birds, may be obtained from your Broker Dealer or Hatchery where you purchased the chicks or by calling Chicken Farmers of Ontario, directly at the number listed below.
Will I be able to grow 300 chickens in 2009?
The 300 Bird Exemption Pilot Project is for the 2008 calendar year only. Continuation of this program is at the discretion of the Board of the Chicken Farmers of Ontario. Please check back on our website for further updates.
Does growing 300 chickens entitle me to quota?
No. Growing 300 chickens in the 2008 calendar year does not entitle you to receive quota.
What are the requirements to have the chicken processed?
You must present a copy of the Form 300, which you completed at the time you purchased your chicks, to the Custom Processor. All required federal and provincial health and safety regulations must be followed.
Ann Slater, 6 February, 2007
On February 6, 2007, EFAO, NFU and CFFO received a letter from the Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO), in response to our joint request for an exemption from holding quota for small-scale, direct from farmer to consumer sales.
The letter says that "after careful consideration of your proposal, and having regard for CFO's other regulatory and operational requirements, the Board agreed in-principle to amend the exemption of up to 300 birds per premises, per year with the following conditions":
- a producer must not engage in active marketing such as advertising or farm market sales and,
- a producer must abide by all applicable federal and provincial laws.
I spoke with Antoinette Wells, Director, Policy & Government Relations at CFO, on February 28. She indicated that the CFO Policy Committee and the CFO board are still working out the details related to the conditions outlined above. She says that when the final policies and regulations are written related to the exemption they will be more explicit around what active marketing means and what federal and provincial laws producers must abide by. Once the board is able to come to agreement on further decisions around the exemption, she will let us know.
Ms. Wells also indicated CFO will be looking at how to provide some guidance around appropriate food safety and food quality procedures for small flocks. A one year pilot project will give CFO time to look at issues like what needs to be in place in regard to food safety requirements for small flocks, as well as to look at the impact of any changes on small flock, direct market quota holders, who are concerned about the impact of the exemption on their livelihoods. Several EFAO members are small flock quota holders.
The letter from CFO also says "the Board also agreed-in-principle to amend Form 36 to remove the requirement to sign a statement that the exempted chicken is to be used solely for home consumption" and "the board has requested that I convey this direction to you in order that your members may begin planning appropriately for the 2007 season".
Ann Slater, 18 September 2006
On July 17, on behalf of EFAO, I attended a meeting of the policy committee of the Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) to discuss the joint EFAO, NFU and CFFO proposal for an exemption from holding quota for small flocks. Dave Lewington from the National Farmers Union and Henry Stevens and John Clememt from the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario also attended the meeting. Representatives from the CFO included both board members and staff.
In opening comments, I noted that our organization now had a number of small quota holders but that we also had many members looking for one more piece to add to a mixed farming operation, particularly for direct marketing. Questions raised by CFO included, how will we know if the exemption is impacting quota holding chicken farmers and how many farmers will go out and purchase chicks if an exemption is put in place. The CFO reps suggested there may be up to 15,000 farmers waiting to purchase the maximum number of chicks under the exemption. The organizations presenting the joint proposal noted we would expect a Small Flock Committee to keep on eye on the impact on quota holders and that we thought there would be far fewer than 15,000 farmers purchasing chicks and not all would purchase the maximum number.
I felt the meeting was generally amicable. There seemed to be acceptance on the part of CFO that there is a demand for chicken raised differently from mainstream chicken. I also got the feeling they feel people are now able to raise chicken for family and close friends, but I pointed out that some of our members have quit raising chicken for family because of concerns about being charged by CFO.
On the issue of bio-security, CFO said that some measures would have to be followed. They also wanted us to be aware that many bio-security decisions are made by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and CFO is required to follow their regulations.
As to the next steps, the CFO policy committee will give a report to the full board, there will likely be more analysis and consultation with other marketing boards and CFO would hope to give us a 'yes' or 'no' answer by the end of this year. Note: The joint proposal is posted on the EFAO website.
On-Farm Bio Security of Un-Regulated Feather Groups
On July 4, Cathy Mc-Gregor-Smith and Gary Smith representing EFAO, were part of a focus group dealing with On-Farm Bio-Security for un-regulated feather groups. The following is their report:
OMAFRA has given funding to establish a partnership between the Ministry, Poultry Industry Council, University of Guelph and the non-regulated feather community. Large scale feather groups, such as the Chicken Farmers of Ontario, have established provincial and national protocols in place in case of a disease outbreak, like avian flu. Other groups represented at the meeting included racing pigeons, game birds and show birds.
Al Dam, Provincial Poultry Specialist, described how easily disease can spread throughout the farming community. Feed suppliers and poultry transporters need to be aware of the part they might innocently play in the spread of disease. The participants were asked for suggestions as to how this group could help the un-regulated feather groups. It was suggested information could be sent to the executives of the different associations for distribution, so that membership lists would be protected for privacy. The Bio-Security Group will be sending rural veterinarians information for rapid diagnosis of poultry diseases. This group is trying to help small farmers with this project.
