Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Here's an opinion piece printed in the Winnipeg Free Press....notice the author and her affiliations...

Forty-six thousand, four hundred -- that's the number of lives lost this year to date in reported barn fires across Canada. No, these are not human lives; they are animals, namely pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, cows, horses and rabbits.
It shouldn't matter that the lives are animals, not human, but it does. That is, according to Manitoba's fire code. The dearth of employees in most livestock barns means buildings are not required to have smoke alarms, sprinkler systems or other fire prevention measures because animals are not considered occupants worth protecting.

The majority of these barns are intensive livestock operations, where animals are held in confinement systems that limit their mobility. Pigs in gestation crates are held in two-foot by seven-foot stalls so restrictive they can barely lie down. Turning around is impossible. Hens in egg operations are crammed five to six in a battery cage, stacked atop one another, rows upon rows. Food and water are delivered via electronic feed and watering systems. The factory nature of most livestock operations means few people are present, with the exception of those needed to perform a handful of management tasks.

A large livestock operation, such as a swine farrowing unit, could house thousands of animals and may employ only 10 to 15 full-time employees. During a fire, animals are stuck, imprisoned, unable to escape and impossible to rescue, while a fire rages around them as they suffer from smoke inhalation and worse, being burned alive.

Photos from the burned out barns show charred bodies of animals, some with exploded abdomens, and sows confined in gestation crates fruitlessly attempting to climb out of their crates.

If the miserable life of these animals cramped in barren confinement systems is not horrific enough, they are becoming increasingly vulnerable to being burned alive in an epidemic of fires that have been sweeping barns across Western Canada.

Manitoba saw an eight-fold increase in the numbers of animals killed during barn fires in 2008: 31,013 animals burned to death, predominantly pigs. In recent months, a staggering 15,000 pigs burned alive on July 31 at Cluny Colony in Cluny, Alberta, and a further 2,400 pigs burned alive in Derwent, Alberta on Aug. 17. On July 7, 25,000 chickens died in a Kleefeld, Manitoba, fire. Already this year, 19,000 more animals have died in fires across Canada than in 2008.

In addition to lost animal lives, there are significant economic repercussions in the form of insurance payouts, and lost jobs and livelihoods.

While the Manitoba Fire Commissioner's office considers mandating alarms and sprinklers in new buildings, fires rage on in old ones. This code, if adopted, will apply to new buildings only and will not require that existing buildings be retrofitted with alarms and sprinkler systems.

The construction of new hog barns in Manitoba, however, is virtually non-existent due to a moratorium on new pig barns in already-saturated parts of Manitoba. Furthermore, the proposed code is insufficient. A "medium" or "light industrial" classification on these barns means that farm buildings with fewer than 75 employees would not be required to be equipped with smoke alarms. (Sprinklers would be required if buildings are of a certain size but without alarms, sprinklers are futile since fires burn through the barns so quickly.)

A classification of "high risk industrial" is needed to reflect the particularly flammable nature of these barns -- pig waste contains the highly combustible and explosive gases of hydrogen sulphide and methane.

While many fires have afflicted hog barns in Manitoba and Alberta, barns in other provinces have also been stricken by fires. This presents a unique opportunity for the federal government to take action, to show it cares about animal welfare as is often claimed but rarely demonstrated.

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has promised once again to help pork producers hit by the scourge of reduced pork prices with millions in federal funds available for loans and marketing strategies. As always, Minister Ritz has shown himself to be a friend of livestock producers, but his track record on animal welfare is poor.

With the millions of dollars of federal taxpayer money available to assist pork producers, the government must earmark a portion of these funds to support the development and implementation of a Canada-wide fire prevention strategy for livestock barns, and make retrofitting smoke alarms and sprinkler systems in barns housing animal populations a condition for financial assistance. Only then will these fires be curbed.


Lynn Kavanagh is an MSc student in the animal behaviour and welfare program at the University of Guelph and a board member of the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals.

Views: 76

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

This came up last year during one of my media interviews. Crystal MacKay was very good at getting some information to me in order to respond to the questions. You can find a lot of the information at OFAC's website under Animal Resources - go to Livestock Emergency Resources.
Anytime there is a fire it is not good - especially when a life is lost: human, your prize cow, or even the barn cat. We currently have seen stricter regulations for building codes (relating to fire) in highrises and condominiums. Some industry reps have also been diligent in getting out the word on fire prevention. A lot has been learned and we are still learning more (ie. - ammonia gas and corroding electrical connections). Fire prevention will save a lot of losses - monetary and life.
One comment that has been stated to me though - if a fire alarm goes off - does the pig know how to open the doors?
Another comment about this - the writer is focusing on large barns in western Canada. I toured some of these areas in 2000 (Manitoba) when the barns were popping up - many miles from the nearest house and fire department.
The press release I was questioned by the media on was actually from February 4, 2009 and it used the same numbers as stated above (except for the recent fires of course). The press release came from an animal alliance environmnet voters party (Canada) and the coalition for farm animals as above.

Wayne

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

UM Aggie Bedpush rolls across Manitoba to support rural health and wellness

The annual Aggie Bedpush is back this fall, continuing a beloved tradition of fundraising and community spirit led by students from the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. From September 26 to 28, students will push their iconic burgundy bed through Manitoba towns, raising money for two meaningful causes: STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service) Foundation and the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program Bedpush organizer Pyper Hollar explains the deep connection between these charities and the farming community. “Many Aggies live and or work in rural communities meaning that the nearest hospital can be at least an hour’s drive away. STARS is an Air Rescue service that can provide not only hospital transport when trouble arises, but has an incredible team of highly skilled professionals who can treat on the ground and in the air; STARS can be the difference between life and death for many Aggies out there,” she says. Mental health is another key concern. “Th

Tasters needed for bread acceptability research study

We are recruiting volunteers to participate in a Sensory Research Study in Food and Human Nutritional Sciences in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. You would have the opportunity to take part in sensory research and learn methods related to the acceptability of food products. Details including the consent form and screening questionnaire are in the Information Package link below. Title: Acceptability of Bread with a Bioactive Ingredient Principal Investigator: Dr. Cristina Rosell (cristina.rosell@umanitoba.ca) Activity: Observe, smell and taste bread samples to determine degree of liking of appearance, aroma, flavor, texture and overall Eligibility: No allergies to foods or beverages, no sensitivity to gluten, 18 years of age or older, and no direct involvement or knowledge of the project Commitment: One Session about 20 minutes Session Options: September 23, 25, 26, October 1 and 2 every 30 minutes from 11:30 to 1:30 inclusive Where: Fourth Floor Human Ecology Buil

Saskatchewan harvest chugs along

There was good harvest progress over much of Saskatchewan last week—although there were rain delays in some areas. The weekly Saskatchewan Agriculture report says combining is 41 per cent complete—up from 23 per cent the previous week. The five-year average is 58 per cent and the ten-year average is 49 per cent. The southwest is 55 per cent combined and the southeast is at the halfway point. Plenty of progress made in the northwest last week, which is now at 41 per cent combined. East-central sits at 31 per cent with west-central and the northeast at 27 per cent combined. Peas are mostly in the bin with lentils at 84 per cent. Moving to the cereal crops—barley is 54 per cent combined, durum 49 per cent, while spring wheat and oats are 35 per cent harvested. Canola sits at 12 per cent combined and flax at three per cent. Volunteer crop reporters were asked to provide yield estimates—keeping in mind there can be large variations between fields due to scattered rainfall during the gro

“More positive than anticipated” is how Saskatchewan’s Premier terms meetings with Chinese government officials

Premier Scott Moe is crossing more time zones on Monday only two days after finishing a trade mission to China and Japan last week. Moe spoke to reporters at the Saskatoon airport prior to departing on a flight to the nation’s capital for additional meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior cabinet ministers. Moe and the Prime Minister’s parliamentary secretary Kody Blois met with officials within the Chinese Commerce Ministry—the body that is responsible for implementing import tariffs. It has placed very hefty preliminary tariffs on Canadian canola seed—as well as canola oil, canola meal, peas and pork. Those tariffs were seen as a response to Canadian tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. That tariff was implemented at the request of the United States. It’s hoped the trade mission will begin a gradual process to improve relations between Canada and China.

Ontario’s most problematic weed -- Canada Fleabane Cuts Corn and Soybean Yields

Persistent Canada fleabane, now resistant to multiple herbicides, causes significant yield losses in Ontario corn and soybeans, demanding zero-tolerance management and adjusted herbicide programs.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service