Bird repellent product Avian Control has received approval for emergency use, Manitoba Agriculture noted in a recent provincial crop update.

WHY IT MATTERS: Flocks of blackbirds can do significant damage to sunflower fields as they feed heavily in the lead up to migration.

The emergency registration, effective from Aug. 18, 2025, through Aug. 17, 2026, allows producers to apply the methyl anthranilate-based repellent up until harvest day, said a crop pest update issued Aug. 21.

“It’s a new product, and we’re looking to get some feedback on it, too,” Kim Brown, weed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, said during an Aug. 27 webinar hosted by Manitoba Ag. “It’s an emergency registration, which means it may not be a full registration. Going forward, it’ll be evaluated.”

The ag department and the Manitoba Crop Alliance, which represents sunflower growers in the province, have previously worked towards the emergency registration.

Timing critical for blackbird management

The approval comes at a crucial time for sunflower producers.

University of North Dakota research suggests most blackbird damage happens during a narrow window in fall when bird populations peak alongside mature, unharvested crops. In a previous interview with the Co-operator, Manitoba Ag oilseed specialist Sonia Wilson pointed to particular concern during September and October.

The challenge is compounded by the birds’ flocking behaviour. When blackbirds target a field, damage can be swift and severe, with the birds moving collectively and concentrating feeding activity in specific areas.

Avian Control’s manufacturer, Avian Enterprises, claims their research has found pest birds cause up to US$3 billion in annual agricultural damage across North America, with individual crop losses ranging from 20 to 87 per cent in severely affected fields. In Manitoba’s neighbour, North Dakota, sunflower growers lose an estimated $3.5 million annually due to blackbird damage.

How the repellent works

Avian Control works by irritating birds’ sensory systems, forcing them to seek feeding areas elsewhere, according to a white paper publication by Avian Enterprises. It doesn’t permanently harm, the company added.

Unlike traditional scare tactics such as audio devices or visual deterrents, the chemical approach creates lasting behavioral changes in pest bird populations, the paper said.

The repellent creates an ultraviolet “stain” visible to birds but not humans, which serves as a warning signal that trained birds learn to avoid. The product does not penetrate crop tissues, preserving the natural taste of treated sunflowers, Avian Enterprises says.

The active ingredient, methyl anthranilate, occurs naturally in some fruits and flowers and is considered “generally regarded as safe” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The compound has been approved for bird control in the U.S. for several years.

“It’s a bird repellent. It’s not a control,” said John Gavloski, entomologist with Manitoba Ag. “It doesn’t kill blackbirds.”

Brown and Gavloski believe the product may be valuable to producers, if proven effective through field testing. They’re now putting the call out for producers willing to share real-world field experience.

“We’re still looking for more information on this product, so if anyone does use this product, we’d be really interested to know how effective it was,” Gavloski said.

“It’s something that we need to evaluate going forward. But it is a brand-new product,” Brown echoed. “If it works, it would be a great tool to have, because we know that blackbirds can cause lots of issues.”

Avian Enterprises argues that Avian Control breaks away from earlier methyl anthranilate products based on better stability and more ability to withstand rain. Previous formulations had an efficacy window of two to three days, the company said. The newer chemistry is supposed to provide protection for up to 14 days under field conditions.

Filling a gap in crop armour

Manitoba producers currently rely on various strategies to limit blackbird damage, including visual deterrents, harassment techniques with noise makers or drones and sound devices that mimic predator calls. Results though, have been mixed, and some producers have found certain audio deterrents more successful than others.

The chemical repellent is a different tactic that could complement existing management strategies, advocates note, particularly since traditional methods often require constant monitoring and adjustment.

Safety and application guidelines

Manitoba Ag recommends withholding application if rain is expected within 12 hours. The methyl anthranilate may also cause temporary leaf discoloration or burn, prompting recommendations that producers test small areas before spraying the wider field.

“One of the things on the label that’s worth noting is that it’s recommended just to do small groups of plants first and observe things for five to seven days before you do a much bigger area, just in case there is any potential damage to plants,” Gavloski said.

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The Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo and Krasnoyarsk regions have all declared state of emergencies this month, a formal designation which allows farmers to claim compensation and insurance payments.

In 2023, the combined harvest of grain and legume crops in the Altai region amounted to almost 5.0 million tons.

Taken together, the five affected regions accounted for about eight per cent of last year’s grain harvest in Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter.

“Having collected detailed information from agricultural producers, the Hydro-meteorological Center and other experts, colleagues in government proposed introducing a state of emergency in the territory of the region, associated with excessive soil moisture,” Viktor Tomenko, the regional governor, said on his official Telegram channel.

“At today’s meeting of the commission a decision was made (to introduce a state of emergency) – the necessary documents were prepared”, he added.

Over a dozen Russian grain-producing regions have been hit by extreme weather, from early spring frosts to drought in recent months. The bad weather has affected an area of more than 1.1 million hectares, officials say.

Many southern regions, key for grain production, are suffering from drought, which could lead to sowing problems for the new crop.

Despite the losses, Russia has maintained its official grain harvest forecast at 132 million metric tons, a 10% drop compared to last year, and its export forecast at 60 million tons.

—Reporting for Reuters by Olga Popova

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As of early Thursday evening, the province was tracking 76 active wildfires, of which 22 were listed as “out of control” and 17 as “being held,” with 37 deemed under control.

The Alberta government on Saturday declared a provincial state of emergency, a legal status which allows for a higher level of intergovernmental co-ordination, around-the-clock situation monitoring, emergency discretionary funds and the ability to mobilize additional supports.

Firefighting in central parts of the province has benefited from recent moisture and cooler temperatures, the province said Wednesday, but added that conditions are expected to get hotter and drier by the weekend.

Fire danger remains “extreme” in many northern areas, the province said Wednesday, adding that “despite cooler temperatures elsewhere, a wildfire can still start easily and spread quickly in these conditions.”

The province on Wednesday advised producers to contact the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies if seeking space for evacuated livestock. The association has an online list of contacts for local ag societies offering assistance.

Alberta Beef Producers, on its website, also offers a map of facilities such as rodeo and sports grounds made available for evacuated animals, along with listings of other resources for affected ranchers.

The organization also notes some members of the Alberta Auction Markets Association may have space available; the association can be reached at 780-789-3915 (north) or 403-358-0456 (south).

To help keep track of evacuated livestock, Animal Health Canada’s emergency management division has a template of a livestock evacuation documentation form on its website.

The province has reiterated that any evacuated farmers and ranchers can contact the provincial wildfire resource line at 310-4455 with ag- or livestock-related questions, and should also register at the evacuees’ reception centre for their community so staff can connect them with any needed resources.

Evacuated livestock producers may also need re-entry permits if they want to go back into an evacuated area to check on livestock, and should check with their municipality before entering, the province said.

The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) said Wednesday its lending clients may be eligible for financial relief including payment deferrals, loan restructuring or approvals of short-term working capital loans.

Perennial crop producers with acres under moisture deficiency insurance (MDI) have a pasture spot loss fire benefit for fires caused by accident and/or lightning, triggered by a minimum burn of 100 acres, AFSC noted.

Annual crop growers with a hail endorsement on insured acres are covered for losses caused by accidental fire or fire by lightning, AFSC added. Producers with hay insurance and/or annual production insurance who have not elected the hail endorsement option are covered for fire caused by lightning, but not for accidental fires.

AFSC also noted the federal/provincial AgriStability ag income stabilization program will consider losses caused by accidental fire or fire by lightning when calculating a participant’s program year margins.

Evacuations

Communities covered by 13 full or partial evacuation orders as of Wednesday evening had included Drayton Valley, Fox Creek, Lac Ste. Anne, Rainbow Lake; the counties of Brazeau, Grande Prairie and Yellowhead; the Whitefish Lake, Sturgeon Lake Cree, Little Red River Cree (Fox Lake), O’Chiese and Beaver First Nations; the Gift Lake and East Prairie Metis settlements; and the municipal district of Greenview. As of Wednesday evening, 15 evacuation alerts were also in effect.

As of Thursday evening, however, the province reported nine evacuation orders remained in effect, covering a total of 16,493 evacuees. It also confirmed the evacuation order has been lifted for the remainder of Yellowhead County.

The province reported Thursday that the Canadian Armed Forces has deployed members of the Third Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI) and One Combat Engineer Regiment (1CER) to the Grande Prairie, Fox Creek and Drayton Valley areas. Army reserve soldiers from across the province are also deploying this week, the province said.

Over 800 wildland firefighters from multiple provinces, along with heavy equipment and airtankers, were responding to wildfires in Alberta as of Thursday evening.

Canadian National Railway, which said May 6 it had suspended service on its Edson subdivision running from Edmonton and Jasper due to fires in the Edson area, resumed operations on that section of its mainline the following Monday.

“Network fluidity was affected as train speed was reduced, and safety crews were required to spray tracks with water after every train,” CN said in its most recent weekly report on western Canadian grain handling.

The May 6-8 stoppage “also impacted the movement of traffic headed to the Edson subdivision, as dozens of trains in the western region were forced to wait until the danger had passed.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Bill Campbell said he’d been “voluntarily self-isolating” on his farm near Minto — and by that, he meant he’s been stuck inside a swather, combine or tractor.

As harvest has kicked into high gear across the province, the southwest end of Manitoba also moved into “code orange” COVID-19 restrictions as cases of the virus mounted in Brandon and the rest of the Prairie Mountain Health Region. The region stood at 212 active cases as of Aug. 27.

The province in general has seen a rise in COVID-19 outside of the perimeter. As of Aug. 27, the Prairie Mountain Health Region had double the number of active cases as Winnipeg (which sat at 97 cases). A total 126 of those were in Brandon, but another 52 were in the Asessippi health district, making the very rural area west of Hamiota and north to the Asessippi Provincial Park the third-largest COVID-19 hot spot in the province. Southern Health, meanwhile, had reported 85 active cases, only slightly less than Winnipeg.

In the Prairie Mountain Health Region, masks were mandatory in public places, and allowed gathering sizes dropped to 10 people in most settings.

“I don’t think we’re doing anything different here… (We’re) just making sure that we’re following proper procedures, wearing masks and sanitizing and that, but other than the masks, we’ve sort of been doing that since spring anyways,” said Adam Gurr, who farms just outside Brandon.

He did note, however, that his farm is being, “extra careful doing any activities in the city,” given their proximity to the COVID-19 hot spot.

Clayton Robins, who farms nearby near Rivers, said he’s avoiding any business he doesn’t have to enter. When he has to go into town, he avoids going into stores at the busiest times of day.

“If you don’t have to go in, it’s even better,” he said.

At the same time, he said ag stores seemed to have, “done due diligence,” to make customers feel secure, while those businesses also tend to be less crowded than some other commercial spaces.

“There have been quite a few challenges,” according to Candace Bowles, marketing manager at Mazergroup in Brandon.

“We’re still fixing stuff; we’re still going out in the field,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re still there for our customers.”

It just takes a few more steps, she said. In the store, they’re providing sanitizer and masks for customers, who seem to be taking the restrictions in stride. Field technicians out on repair calls take masks and sanitizer with them. They ask customers not to come into equipment cabs with them — and if they have to enter, to wear a mask.

Explaining equipment issues to technicians while socially distancing has made things a little more complicated, Campbell noted, since verbal instructions sometimes got lost in translation.

“We can still get the job done, it just takes longer,” said Adrien Caillier, president of A.R.K. New-Tech in Manitou.

His company typically sends staff on the road for days at a time to service or install grain-drying and grain-handling systems.

This year, he said, the technicians travelling to farms must go straight from the farm to their hotel and not eat in restaurants.

Rocky Mountain Equipment is also telling technicians they must wear a mask if they can’t maintain a two-metre distance, said Jim Wood, chief sales and operations officer with the company. In the field, they advise customers to keep their distance.

The company set up no-contact “parts drops” at its stores. This saw more use in March, but a percentage of customers still use the service, said Wood.

Wood, Bowles and Caillier said they’d seen no dip in business this year.

Sosefo Gordon, who farms near Franklin, said he’s been making use of contactless service where possible.

“Any reps who are on our farm or in our machines have been wearing masks and sanitizing, and we do our best to do the same around those not in our bubble,” he said.

Gordon said on his farm, workers who feel sick are told to stay home. They avoid carpooling.

“It’s fairly easy to self-isolate in our machines once we get rolling, but we are really hoping we don’t get it,” he said.

In some cases, a case of COVID-19 on a farm could derail harvest.

“Any kind of illness at the wrong time of the year can be devastating for a farm operation,” Robins said. “If somebody came down sick and that when all the hay was ready, it would be a real challenge on trying to get everything done. You’d have to rely on your neighbours to come in and help if they’re able to.”

Now, more than ever, it’s best to have an emergency plan in place, KAP’s Thea Green and Morag Marjerison told Country Guide in May.

Make sure someone can step in to cover if key people on the farm are not available, they said.

Marjerison and Green suggested putting up a whiteboard in the shop with a list of upcoming tasks so, if the farmer or manager falls ill, whoever takes over knows what needs to be done.

Farmers are also advised to have necessary personal protective equipment on hand, if possible. Consider having extra maintenance supplies available. Create a contact list so everyone knows where to order diesel or call for electrical repairs.

Marjerison and Green also suggested, in the case of farms with multiple workers, to assign equipment to a specific worker so they don’t need to worry about sanitizing between tasks.

Campbell said his team of three or four doesn’t need to interact much, but keeping equipment sanitized when moving from task to task can get a bit complicated.

Documentation helps, said Marjerison and Green. If workers share a tractor and the procedure is to sanitize at the beginning and end of every shift, having a log or checklist to show it was done may help everyone feel safer.

Producers might consider grouping workers in teams (or “cohorts”) to reduce risk of spreading the virus to the whole farm. Marjerison and Green asked farmers to consider if everyone needs to go into a building, or if one person can go in and collect the supplies needed for the day.

For jobs where it’s not possible for workers to stay six feet apart, pairing people who stick together all season might also reduce risk.

Farmers should also take care of themselves. Fatigue — a given in harvest time — can affect decision-making and impact safety. Farmers are advised to keep an eye on each other’s mental health, and make some time each day to protect their own — be it a quick walk, nap or a few minutes of meditation.

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California was hit by nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours, sparking 367 fires, nearly two dozen of them major, as the state suffered a record heat wave, authorities said.

A group of fires covering over 46,000 acres near the city of Vacaville raced through hills and mountains destroying 50 homes and other structures.

The city of 100,000, about 50 km southwest of Sacramento, was under a partial evacuation order after flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fire burned some homes, leaving dead livestock among the properties or wandering around, a Reuters photographer said.

“This is my cousin’s home in Vacaville that just burned to the ground,” tweeted podcast show host Robert Hanna with a picture of a house in flames.

The blazes follow devastating fires across northern California in 2017 that killed 44, wiped out numerous wineries and destroyed nearly 9,000 homes and other structures.

“In the last 72 hours we’ve experienced an historic lightning siege,” said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Lynnette Round.

So-called red flag high winds are fanning fires caused by rain-less dry-lightning storms, sending flames racing through scrub and woodland parched by record-breaking heat and low humidity.

Another group of fires called the SCU Lightning Complex about 30 km east of Palo Alto more than doubled in size overnight and is now burning over 85,000 acres. The CZU August Lightning Complex has grown to over 10,000 acres and forced evacuations around 20 km south of the city.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared an emergency over the fires and said he requested 375 fire engines from out of state with Arizona, Nevada and Texas sending assistance.

— Reporting for Reuters by Steven Lam; additional reporting by Sharon Bernstein and Andrew Hay.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is a very different type of emergency, said Rebecca Husted, a teacher of technical large animal emergency rescue.

“Most disasters like fires and floods have people moving around, but in COVID-19, people are not supposed to move around,” Husted said Thursday at Alberta Farm Animal Care’s Livestock Care Conference.

(The conference was to be held in Olds, Alta. on Wednesday and Thursday but was changed to an online event, with social distancing in mind.)

But planning ahead — even in a fast-changing situation — remains key. This should involve being in touch with government or agencies (such as ag services boards or farm groups) and making them aware of your situation.

“It comes down to us, in our communities, raising the flag and going to those folks ahead of time and saying, ‘Hey, you have to come up with some plans because it makes your job as an emergency manager a lot easier if you already have a plan with your livestock producers or (agriculture) industry in the area,'” she said.

Canada and the U.S. use “all-hazards disaster plans,” which include plans for evacuation as well as plans for sheltering in place, said Husted.

“This is a shelter-in-place disaster as much as possible, but there’s some things we need to be able to move,” she said. “We need to be able to move our animals and products.”

Disaster managers in your community will be overtaxed and likely won’t have any plans for livestock.

“They have no idea what to do when it comes to transportation of ag products, and you may want to give them some expertise in your local community,” she said.

And prepare for the worst.

“Think about what you have to do if you can’t move your animals,” she said. “For some producers, you have to think about what your euthanasia plan is. If you can’t get the veterinarian there to deal with your horse with a broken leg, what are you going to do? If you, for whatever reason, can’t sell your pigs and they get too old and they aren’t marketable, what are you going to do with them?”

Anyone who is taking care of someone else’s animals might want to get a waiver that says that they can make decisions on the owner’s behalf.

Be prepared for some bottlenecks and slowdowns in the supply chain.

“Supply chains are going to be affected,” said Husted. “Veterinary associations are suggesting that some pharmaceutical products could be in short supply. It may be that some of that stuff is produced in China.”

Think about staffing requirements, and steps will need to be taken if staff get sick or need to take time off to deal with sick relatives or take care of children. As well, many people in the agricultural community are older, and therefore more likely to be seriously ill.

Also make a list of contacts — including “all those folks who are essential to your business, from your employees to your suppliers.”

Many people in the agricultural community are older, and therefore more likely to be seriously ill. It’s also important to make sure the business can run if people get sick or injured — including yourself.

“You need to think, ‘If I wasn’t coming back, what would people need to know so they could run the farm?'”

The thought of planning for so many dire possibilities can be disheartening, but Husted urged her audience to persevere.

“There are people who are very successful going through a disaster, but they have a plan, and they are prepared and as soon as the market is ready, they are going to move on that.”

— Alexis Kienlen reports for Alberta Farmer from Edmonton.

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Drought and grasshoppers have hindered crops to the point that hay production is about 25 to 30 per cent of average.

“We’ve moved cows out of pastures because the grasshoppers ate everything faster than the cows,” said Mike Duguid, who has farmed ar Arnes, Man., for about 60 years.

Duguid said he finished last year with “not one bale left in the yard” due to consecutive years of lower-than-average hay yields.

“Lots of guys are in the exact same position, with no reserves,” he said. “Not 100 bales or anything in your yard to start with.”

Cattle producers in the Interlake have reduced their herds to match feed supply as cattle were turned out onto pastures that weren’t producing as much hay as expected.

“Hay prices are too high to maintain a herd,” said Duguid. “You’ll go broke just trying to feed them.”

Currently, a 1,000-lb. round bale of hay costs about $100 — up considerably from the typical $30 per round bale.

“I doubt prices will drop until we see an oversupply again,” he said.

With the state of emergency, producers in the Interlake are hoping for freight assistance to ship in hay from elsewhere in the province.

Grain farmers in the area have aided livestock producers by baling straw to use to supplement hay stocks.

“That’ll stretch hay supplies way further,” said Duguid. “We’re happy they have come through for us.”

— Marlo Glass writes for MarketsFarm, a Glacier FarmMedia division specializing in grain and commodity market analysis and reporting.

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Health Canada, proposing to streamline the processes for emergency access to drugs for livestock as well as people and pets, on Friday announced a public comment period on its proposals, running until July 19.

Much like the Special Access Program for drugs for human use — which is up for similar amendments — the Emergency Drug Release (EDR) program is used to provide access to veterinary drugs to treat animals with serious or life-threatening conditions when conventional therapies have failed, are unsuitable or are unavailable.

“Evolving disease patterns and global health incidents with a domestic impact have emerged, requiring new drugs, which are often not available in Canada, as manufacturers may not submit these drugs to the Canadian market due to its small size,” the department said in its regulatory impact statement.

“These conditions have reduced timely access to drugs for Canadian patients and animal owners.”

Proposed changes to the program “would reduce the administrative burden” and allow for a “more efficient process for repeat requests,” the department said.

Today, federal regulations require practitioners to submit data on the use, safety and efficacy of a drug to the EDR program, even if the program has previously authorized the same drug in the past for the same medical emergency.

The proposed amendments would allow practitioners to request a given drug that was previously EDR-authorized, under certain conditions, without having to submit the same data all over again.

The proposals would also more clearly allow drug companies to bring some drugs into Canada in advance of anticipated EDR requests, “in order to speed up access to needed treatments.”

That process, called “pre-positioning,” is today allowed only through an “exercise of enforcement discretion” by Health Canada on the current prohibition on imports on small individual shipments, so as to cut the time it takes to get an EDR-authorized drug from a manufacturer to a practitioner.

The proposals also call for an expansion of the antimicrobial sales reporting requirements already in place for drugs approved in Canada, to also cover veterinary drugs authorized under the EDR program.

The EDR program for veterinary drugs alone gets between 600 and 1,000 requests per year from up to 400 veterinarians for drugs for companion animals, food-producing livestock, wildlife species and fish. An average of 45 drugs have an active status in the EDR program, the department said.

EDR authorizations are meant for limited time, to meet specific emergency needs, and aren’t meant to promote or encourage early use of drugs, to conduct research, or to make an end-run around Canada’s clinical trial and drug review processes, the department emphasized.

EDR-authorized drugs don’t undergo comprehensive pre-market review and aren’t subject to the same manufacturing and post-market safety requirements as other drugs manufacturers take through the established approval process in Canada. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Provincial officials say they are finalizing a request for proposals to replace Manitoba’s now obsolete FleetNet public safety emergency communications system.

“We are committed to a fair and open procurement process, while recognizing the urgency of replacing the obsolete FleetNet emergency communications system,” said Finance Minister Cameron Friesen March 29.

Jim Swidersky is glad to hear it. The reeve of the RM of Stuartburn says they’ve waited years while government talked about doing something.

“It’s definitely good news,” said Swidersky. “Over the years listening to government talking about planning to do something, about upgrading it, and not sure what they were going to do… this is good news to know they are planning to do something.”

He didn’t know how long the process will take but knows the province sees the urgency.

“They’re well aware of the circumstances we had in 2011 and 2012.”

Stuartburn endured weather emergencies both years, including a freak wildfire in the fall of 2012 when first responders had to text ground forces or rely on cell service wherever it actually was available. When it failed completely, firefighters resorted to yelling on street corners to get people to evacuate in the village of Vita.

Swidersky has given provincial officials an earful on the matter ever since.

“It’s important to have one dedicated reliable source of communication,” he said, adding they hope the proposal process proceeds quickly.

The province said its intent is to outsource the process to acquire a replacement service through a qualified, independent third party and the request for proposals is expected to be issued within 60 days.

FleetNet is 26 years old and has reached the end of its service life.

Replacement parts for the system have not been manufactured since 2003.

The proposal will include requirements for a modern digital encrypted communications system that meets current technical standards, deployment on a radio frequency reserved for public safety and public service use, and additional towers to expand coverage in currently under-serviced areas.

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In partnership with the provinces, a draft Strategic Emergency Management Framework for Agriculture in Canada has been prepared on ways the existing system could be strengthened. A consultation with farm groups ends March 11. The document is long on principles and guidelines and short on any specifics.

Agriculture faces “evolving and increasingly complex risks,” the document says. In response, governments “propose a stronger, more cohesive and collaborative approach to preventing, mitigating, preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies.

The food-producing sector is receiving special attention because its “operating environment is changing rapidly and the threats, hazards and risks that can lead to emergencies are increasingly complex and diverse.”

“A paradigm shift is required by all parties in placing greater emphasis on prevention and mitigation, given the potential for significant emergency impacts faced by the agriculture sector, particularly with respect to Canada’s economy and environment.”

Measures that prevent or mitigate the impact of disasters will create a more resilient and sustainable agriculture sector,” the department said. They will also simplify the task of responding to and recovering from a natural disaster.

While the federal and provincial governments want an increased focus on prevention and mitigation, they recognize not all risks can be prevented. “There are times when the cost to prevent an emergency may be prohibitive and, therefore, a risk management decision could instead be made to respond and recover.”

One priority would be to build agriculture’s resilience to disasters.

One obvious threat is climate change which will inflict extreme events and new pests and plant diseases on the industry, the document states. Another is “consolidation, concentration and integration, which are increasingly characterizing the Canadian agricultural sector and may increase vulnerability by magnifying the impact of emergency events on the sector as a whole.”

The industry’s dependence on technology that could be crippled during a disaster is another factor the strategy had to look at, the document notes.

The strategy says preparation will help the industry cope with disasters.

It cites the 2014-15 avian influenza outbreaks in southwestern Ontario and British Columbia “where increased biosecurity measures adopted by industry helped the effectiveness of response, and also demonstrated how industry association collaboration can improve government response efforts by providing direct information and communication with their membership.”

The document suggests modernized plant and animal health programs including enhanced pre-border oversight is the kind of measure that would strengthen the sector’s resilience.

Other possible steps include:

• A strategy to modernize and enhance plant pest and animal disease prevention and management to mitigate risks to Canada’s plant and animal resource base through proactive, collaborative and sustainable approaches;
• Widespread adoption and consistent application of prevention and biosecurity measures to mitigate the introduction and spread of pests, diseases and contamination events;
• Strengthened public risk communication to build individual awareness, and reinforce a culture of emergency prevention, resilience and responsible action by each partner in practising preventive approaches and efforts to mitigate the impacts of emergencies;
• Enhanced scientific and technical work on risk reduction and its mobilization through the co-ordination of existing networks and scientific research institutions at all levels, and in all regions, in order to strengthen the evidence base in support of transparent decision-making.

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