Artisanal Chicken program promotes sustainable practices
Timothy Bakker and his son, Samuel, move a portable pasture shelter on their farm, Jubilee Forest Farm
The public’s appetite for local food and farmers’ appetite for satisfying that demand has meant the Artisanal Chicken program was fully subscribed by February for this year’s new applicants. The Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) program is offered to eligible producers who want to raise between 600 and 3,000 birds. “Coming out of COVID, there’s been a lot of interest—there are 163 farms in the program across the province, which is up about 20 from the year before,” says Carl Stevenson, CFO’s Manager of Community Programs Operations and Flock Advisor.
ARTISANAL BEGINNINGS The program was launched six years ago to provide non quota holding farmers with the opportunity to supply their local and seasonal markets with fresh, high-quality chickens. It also gives consumers more choice and options to buy locally.
approval. There’s also a requirement for the farms and records to be audited annually. “We want to see them enjoy sustainable, long-term success,” says Shanna Armstrong, who is CFO’s Farming Operations Representative for eastern Ontario. “We help them put in place good biosecurity measures to keep diseases at bay and, for animal welfare, to ensure the birds are being treated the best way they possibly can.”
Previous to that time, smaller scale farmers could only raise up to 300 birds for their personal use. Commercial farmers have to buy quota under the supply management system, which matches supply with demand. The application process for the Artisanal Chicken program is rigorous, with documentation, interviews and board
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BlockTalk - Summer 2021
www.meatpoultryon.ca
