Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) has developed a new guide to help poultry farmers plan for non-disease related emergencies.
The Alberta Poultry Industry Emergency Response Planning and Resource Guide for Producers is a comprehensive 26-page guide that helps farmers plan what to do in the case of barn collapses, water supplies being threatened by flood or drought, or other natural disasters.
It provides suggestions and allows farmers to tailor a plan to meet their business's needs. The guide covers topics such as summer and winter preparedness of poultry barns, air quality and lighting in barns, plus protection of water systems, pest control measures, disaster financial assistance and managing energy supplies.
"It seems like our extreme weather events are increasing but of course there's always man-made types of disasters as well and basically we felt that the poultry industry in particular has done a really great job with their disease-related (strategies) but the non-disease related events hadn't really been touched on very much,î said Angela Greter, program manager at AFAC.
As a result of those conversations with producers, the guide was developed late in 2013 to provide an outline of what producers need to think about when putting together a plan.
"It's basically just a start. It certainly isn't going to be everything that a producer is going to need, but it would certainly give them some resources if they're hit with a (disaster),î Greter said.
The guide also includes some of the financial resources available to producers through Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development over the next five years to help put their plans in place.
The guide is available by going to www.afac.ab.ca, scrolling down to news and events and following the links.
"It's basically just a start ...It certainly isn't going to be everything that a producer is going to need, but it would certainly give them some resources if they're hit with a (disaster)."Angela GreterAFAC program manager
