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: 77

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

Falling Number is an Important Indicator of Wheat Quality

Falling Number is a critical test performed to assess wheat quality and the effects of sprout damage. The analytical team at Cereals Canada performs the Falling Number test as part of its routine testing, including its annual New Crop Harvest Assessment, and shares results with customers and buyers of Canadian wheat. “During crop years that have wet harvest conditions, Falling Number testing becomes a priority to ensure the quality and reputation of Canadian wheat is maintained,” says Elaine Sopiwnyk, Cereals Canada vice president of technical services. “Consistently producing high-quality wheat with a desirable Falling Number helps Canada build a good reputation with buyers and processors.” The Falling Number test indirectly measures the activity of the enzyme alpha-amylase in wheat, caused by pre-harvest sprouting. Sprout damage occurs when wet field conditions occur at or near maturity. The kernels absorb moisture and begin to germinate or sprout. Sprouting itself is subject to l

USask researcher honoured with top pulse crop award

The award is presented annually to an individual, company or organization that has made significant contribution to Canada’s pulse and special crops industry. Warkentin is a renowned plant breeder at the Crop Development Centre (CDC) within the USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources. He leads the Field Pea and Soybean Crop Breeding and Genetics program as the Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program (SRP) Chair. His research is centered on developing high-performing pea and soybean cultivars tailored for Western Canada and northern U.S. regions. With a strong foundation in both conventional and genomic breeding techniques, Warkentin aims to enhance crop resilience, disease resistance, and end-use quality. His work is instrumental in meeting the evolving needs of the agricultural sector, particularly as demand for plant-based protein continues to rise globally. Through his breeding efforts, he ensures that farmers have access to varieties that are not only producti

Signature Series research podcast: The future of wildfires with Dr. Colin Laroque

Laroque, a professor in USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources and the head of the Department of Soil Sciences, is an expert dendrochronologist. In other words, he is an expert in “tree-ring analysis,” which allows him to read the rings of trees to get a better understanding of our environment over years, decades and centuries. In recent years, the number of wildfires in Canada and around the world have increased, with more area being burned and more effort being dedicated to managing them. As Laroque puts it, the environment is changing, but those changes take long periods of time before they can be understood as trends or a “new normal.” For Laroque, the questions are not whether this more regular and severe wildfire season is here to stay, but whether we’ve reached the apex of what the future holds for this “new normal.” On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question: “What will increasing wildfires do to our environment, and is there a

Saskatchewan Engages With the Mexico and United States on Agricultural Trade and Development

Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison will lead a trade mission to Mexico to strengthen our trade, research and investment ties with some of Saskatchewan's long-standing Mexican partners and to help companies and industry organizations in the province maintain and strengthen their relationships with Mexican stakeholders. The mission will reinforce the province's international reputation as a reliable supplier of high-quality food, feed and value-added commodities. The mission will also promote research, investment and other collaborative opportunities in Saskatchewan's value-added sector. "Mexico continues to be a vital partner for Saskatchewan, particularly in the agriculture sector," Harrison said. "This mission will open new avenues to promote provincial agriculture export interests, bolster relationships with stakeholders and advance discussions with Mexico on priority agriculture issues." As part of the mission, Minister Harrison will be participating in the 2025 Tri-National Agr

Trade battle puts soybean farmers at risk

The leafy soybean plants reach Caleb Ragland's thighs and are ripe for harvest, but the Kentucky farmer is deeply worried. He doesn't know where he and others like him will sell their crop because China has stopped buying. Beijing, which traditionally has snapped up at least a quarter of all soybeans grown in the United States, is in effect boycotting them in retaliation for the high tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed on Chinese goods and to strengthen its hand in negotiations over a new overall trade deal. It has left American soybean farmers fretting over not only this year's crop but the long-term viability of their businesses, built in part on China's once-insatiable appetite for U.S. beans. “This is a five-alarm fire for our industry,” said Ragland, who leads the American Soybean Association. If no deal is reached soon, some farmers hope the government will come through with aid as it did during Trump's first term, but they see that only as a temporary solution. Trump

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service