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Mother Nature dealt another blow to western farmers this summer, leaving fields dry and barren and animals starving when the crops to feed them never grew. With a total crop failure of grains and hay, many farmers were forced to send their animals to auction barns, mostly for slaughter. One auction house reported processing 20,000 cattle in July, compared to 2,000 for the same period last year. Some farmers sold off their breeding stock because the only feed available was worth more than the animals themselves.
Ontario farmers Wyatt and Willard McWilliams decided in mid-July to do something to help their western counterparts. After phone calls to Ottawa City Councillors, Phil McNeely and Clive Doucet, the Hay West relief effort was formed. Farmers in eastern Ontario and Quebec, who had more hay than they needed, began offering to donate hundreds of bales of hay. The Honourable Don Boudria stepped in and arranged for the donation of ten rail cars from CN Rail to transport the hay to the west.
Very quickly, the project mushroomed. By the end of August, 600 rail cars had been arranged and thousands of tonnes of hay had been shipped to Saskatchewan and Alberta. Although CN and CP Rail donated hundreds of rail cars, expenses began to mount for other costs, such as transporting hay from farmers’ fields to the rail heads. The CFHS was invited to participate by processing donations (on behalf of the Hay West Initiative) to be used specifically for shipping feed to livestock animals in distress.
A separate bank account was established and the CFHS asked Scotiabank to join in by taking donations at all branches across Canada.
As of late September, more than $500,000 had been received from individuals, corporations and service clubs. The federal government contributed $150,000 in addition to covering the costs of fumigating the hay prior to shipping.
Despite the enormous efforts and contributions of eastern Canadian farmers, the Hay West office and various corporations and individual donors, the full needs of drought-stricken western farmers have not been met. There are still thousands of animals in Alberta and Saskatchewan without enough feed for the winter months. A total of 18,000 farmers and ranchers requested hay through the lottery system; to date, 550 of those have received hay.
The Hay West project was established as a temporary effort, culminating in October with the cooler weather. The CFHS is planning to establish an ongoing fund to help meet this need, as well as future needs resulting from disasters or emergencies facing Canadians and their livestock.
The CFHS is establishing the Canadian Livestock Emergency Fund to provide ongoing assistance to farmers and ranchers struck by disaster. An initial meeting has already taken place to discuss how the fund would be established and what partner agencies might be interested in joining. The CFHS views this as an important opportunity for the humane movement to build stronger bridges with the livestock industry in working towards the welfare of animals in Canada.
Donations can be made by sending cheques to the CFHS office or by calling with your credit card (1-888-678-CFHS).
Shelagh MacDonald is CFHS Program Director
