Volunteers rescue dairy cows near Abbotsford, BC (Twitter/@Richard_Bosma)

By Dori Modney with files from The Canadian Press

Agriculture sectors take hit from B.C. flooding after drought plagued growing season

Nov 18, 2021 | 12:27 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB. — Catastrophic flooding in B-C has killed thousands of farm animals – everything from milk cows and beef cattle to poultry – in what`s being called an agricultural disaster.

The Chicken Farmers of Canada confirm dozens of farms under evacuation orders in the Fraser Valley region are poultry farms.

The B.C. Dairy Association said it’s unclear how many milking cows have died because of the floods and the industry is still reeling from a disastrous summer.

B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said the province is rushing to develop routes for veterinarians to access animals that survived flooding.

Between flood water and landslides, crucial road and rail routes are cut, which also means prairie farmers are likely to be hurt by delays getting their grain to market.

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Barry Prentice, a University of Manitoba professor in supply chain management, notes this is peak shipping season and B.C. is the biggest export corridor for Prairie producers. He fears the problem could extend into the new year.

Manitoba’s largest farm group, Keystone Agricultural Producers, says it is monitoring the potential effect on both the grain and livestock sectors, which have also suffered from summer drought.