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Where Does Your Food Come From? Comments on Educating Consumers

These online tools are a good idea - these videos with farmers should be credible to consumers...
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Turkey Farm Welcomes Visitors - Virtually!

On-line turkey farm tour now available in French

August 10, 2009 (MISSISSAUGA, ON) – After the very successful launch of the English Virtual Turkey Farm Tour in 2007, the Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC) and the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) have now made the tour available to French-speaking Canadians. The French version of the online Turkey Farm Tour is now available for Francophones and French immersion classes across Canada to enjoy by visiting www.farmissues.com/virtualTour .

The popular online attraction which features virtual livestock and poultry farm tours in English, didn’t previously offer a poultry farm tour in French. Since its inception in 2006, the Virtual Farm Tour website has recorded an average of 8,000 visits per month!

Canadian turkey farmers welcome interest in their farms and flocks, but to protect their birds’ health they must restrict visitors from touring their barns. By directing teachers, students, families and others to this virtual farm tour, visitors to the site can tour the barns of a typical turkey farm to get a close up view of what’s happening. The tour focuses on topics that are key to turkey farmers – caring for birds, what the birds eat and drink, reasons behind bird health “biosecurity” programs, on-farm food safety initiatives and much more. Video clips introduce viewers to the farm family and capture many unique aspects of farm life. The virtual turkey farm tour is designed to open barn doors for people who might never otherwise have the chance to visit a real farm.

Mark Davies, a turkey farmer and Chair of the Turkey Farmers of Canada, said that OFAC’s virtual farm tours present a terrific opportunity to educate the public about farming in Canada. Davies said, “People want to know where their food comes from - they want to know that it is safe, and that birds are being well cared for. The virtual turkey farm tour captures the care and commitment that characterizes turkey farming in Canada.”

Funding for this project came from the Turkey Farmers of Canada, representing over 540 registered turkey farmers across Canada. The Ontario Farm Animal Council is the voice for animal agriculture, representing over 40,000 livestock and poultry farmers, associations and businesses on issues in animal agriculture such as animal care, food safety, biotechnology and the environment.



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For more information:

Kelly Daynard
Program Manager, OFAC Director-Corporate Services,
Email: kdaynard@ofac.org

Views: 110

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