After last year’s wildfire season, the flooding in November and the presence of avian flu, farmers in BC are required to register their premises and livestock by July 1, 2022.
Farmers and ranchers can receive a notification when there is an emergency in their area, like a natural disaster or animal disease outbreak.
The program is also used for recovery planning, such as identifying premises with animals that might need relocation, feed or water as seen during the flooding throughout the Fraser Valley last fall.
It also includes animal identification and movement reporting.
“The program has been very effective in helping first responders, livestock owners and communities respond to animal disease events and natural disasters, such as the wildfires and flooding we’ve seen over the past year, and in an emergency, we need everyone on board,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food.
As BC farmers and ranchers prepare for the coming spring freshet and summer wildfire season, the province is encouraging them to register parcels of land where their animals are kept.
Types of premises registered with the program range from small-scale farms or hobby farms to large sites such as feedlots.
Livestock that are to be registered under the program also range from honeybees to chickens, cows, alpacas and horses.
Jeremy Dunn, general manager of BC Dairy says that premises ID has been mandatory on dairy farms for some time and has proven very helpful to dairy farmers.
The national program is also mandatory in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Prince Edward Island.
