A new $5 million fund announced Thursday in Chilliwack will help B.C. farmers protect their poultry and livestock from animal diseases like avian influenza, swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease.

sa国际传媒淚 am pleased to officially announce that the B.C. government is investing $5 million in the B.C. poultry and livestock sector with the renewed focus of reducing the spread of animal disease and improving food security for British Columbians,sa国际传媒� said Pam Alexis, minister of agriculture and food.

Details like how and when the funding will flow werensa国际传媒檛 available, but the new program is about fostering sa国际传媒渞esiliencesa国际传媒� in the ag sector, as part of a larger $200-million investment in food security initiatives recently announced.

Langley East MLA Megan Dykeman who is also a farmer, said animal diseases when they hit can have a sa国际传媒渞ipple effectsa国际传媒� throughout the food supply chain.

sa国际传媒淭his investment will enable our farmers and ranchers to plan, prepare and prevent and mitigate for these diseases on their farms,sa国际传媒� she said.

The funding will go to a mix of sa国际传媒渆mergency planning and trainingsa国际传媒� for the livestock and poultry sector, and equipment in response to outbreaks, as well as research, and implementation of biosecurity and mitigation measures.

The ag sector will be able to respond sa国际传媒渜uicker and bettersa国际传媒� to disease outbreaks with this key support, said Alexis.

sa国际传媒淎nimal diseases, such as avian influenza, have a huge impact on farmers,sa国际传媒� said Mark Siemens, president of the BC Egg producers association.

Theysa国际传媒檝e learned the virus is now a sa国际传媒測ear-roundsa国际传媒� concern causing farmers sa国际传媒渕ental strain and anguish,sa国际传媒� which has become sa国际传媒渧ery challenging,sa国际传媒� Siemens said.

sa国际传媒淧oultry farmers particularly appreciate the fact that this funding is available to a wide variety of applicants so we can take advantage of best practices from across the animal agriculture sector,sa国际传媒� he said.

Industry associations will receive support for business planning, research, biosecurity and equipment purchases needed to respond to an animal disease outbreak.

The ministrysa国际传媒檚 Animal Health Centre, located in Abbotsford, currently handles more than 6,000 case submissions annually while diagnosing, monitoring and assisting in controlling and preventing diseases, such as avian influenza. The province has also announced plans to invest in a new Animal Health Centre that will ensure a more robust response to disease and enhanced testing in the future.

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