The agricultural sector in British Columbia is booming.
According to Statistics Canada’s release of the 2016 Census of Agriculture data last week, there are nearly two million more hens and chickens in British Columbia than there were in 2011.
Furthermore, in B.C. alone more than 100 million animals have been raised on farms each year.
According to Cheryl Davie, Manager of Strategic Initiatives at the B.C. Chicken Marketing Board, the growth in the number of chickens in British Columbia is due to a variety of factors.
“In the last few years, we've seen demand for chicken increase. The price for beef has been high and people are demanding a healthier product,” said Davie. “Also, the Canadian dollar has been below relative to the US, so there's been less cross-border shopping. People are also buying more local chicken. So as a result, our demand has increased. But on average the volume of chicken in the marketplace grows with our population at around two percent a year. So that accounts for a little bit of it.”
Davie also noted that the increase in demand is great news for British Columbia’s economy, in particular for supply-manage commodities, like dairy, poultry and eggs.
According to numbers collected by the B.C. Chicken Marketing Board, the entire dairy industry in British Columbia contributes over one billion dollars to the economy and provides up to 14,000 jobs. As well, poultry is estimated to contribute over four billion to the economy.
Davie says the increase in demand for chicken has resulted in lower prices for farmers but not necessarily for consumers.
“The price the farmers are getting [for chicken] has been going down. Prices in retail stores have not gone down because the retailers charge what the market bears.”
According to Davie, the reason prices for poultry and dairy products remain stable is due to the fact that British Columbia has a supply-management system.
“Poultry is supply-managed like dairy, and we hear sometimes that because we have supply-management the prices are higher. But farmers don't set the retail prices, retailers do. All supply-management does is guarantee that farmers get a minimum price that covers their costs.”
Despite the fact the agricultural sector is steadily growing, the news has prompted groups such as the BC SPCA to highlight the need to pay greater attention to farm animal welfare.
“This rise – especially in poultry being raised each year – demonstrates the importance of the most recently developed Codes of Practice for both chickens used for meat and eggs,” said Amy Morris, BC SPCA officer, policy and outreach. “It also shows how important an update to federal animal transportation laws is – those haven’t been changed since 1977 and better standards are long overdue.”
Ultimately, although a growing agricultural sector provides a boost to British Columbia’s economy, it doesn’t necessarily result in lower prices for consumers and it also raises questions about animal welfare.
