THE VOICE OF ANIMAL AGRICULTURE
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT
2007
The Voice of Animal Agriculture
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2007
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
This Corporate Social Responsibility Report showcases the initiatives taken by the
Ontario Farm Animal Council and its members over the past year.
Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) and its member organizations are an
integral part of Ontario’s farming community, agri-food and agri-science sector.
OFAC recognizes the realities of today’s business environment and its effects on
farming.
Farmers have always been more than just leaders in agriculture.
And as today’s face of farming changes we also understand that there are new
challenges and opportunities that face our industry.
We are more committed now than at any time in our history realizing the
economic sustainability, environmental protection and welfare of our animals are
paramount to both the health of our industry and Ontario’s society.
I am proud of the leadership OFAC, its member groups, management, and staff
who elevate farming to new levels of greatness on a day-to-day basis.
As an organization we integrate our social, environmental, economic and
personal values into farming’s culture and decision making process.
This report reflects our commitment from personal and member points of view
as well as leading by example towards a better, more vibrant and innovative
agricultural industry.
I look forward to our continued success as we grow together in a socially
responsible manner.
Sincerely,
John Maaskant
Chair, Ontario Farm Animal Council
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OVERVIEW
OFAC is a registered, non-profit agricultural, educational organization representing
40,000 livestock and poultry farmers plus many other agricultural groups and
businesses involved in animal agriculture and food production.
OFAC’s mission is as follows: “Animal agriculture
proactively working together ~ Addressing
questions to ensure consumer confidence.”
OFAC is concerned about the health and welfare of our most important and
valued members—our farm animals.
It is OFAC’s corporate social responsibility to promote farming practices that
sustain animal agriculture’s long term viability while caring for those animals in
the best possible manner.
OFAC is committed to be a leader within the farming community and in the
communities where we live, work and provide agricultural services.
OFAC continues to invest in the communities where we operate ensuring we
lead when it comes to our commitment and respect of the environment.
These cannot be achieved unless there is a holistic approach to farming
practices that ensures the sustainability and viability of our industry.
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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
OFAC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is consistent with sound farming
and agricultural management, excellent business practices, safe animal welfare
processes and is part of our core values for all our farmers, members, workers,
staff and our animals.
OFAC’s CSR is not managed by a single entity.
Instead, OFAC works together in a cooperative manner with the entire industry
ensuring there is accountability for policies, programs, performance and reporting
of various economic, environmental, community, health, safety and animal
welfare initiatives that fall under the definition of our CSR.
OFAC’s Mandate:
To provide a coordinated
effort in providing credible
information on animal
agriculture.
OFAC’s Value to Ontario
The last 50 years have seen tremendous changes in farming in Canada. With
most of us living in towns and cities today, people often do not realize how
agriculture has changed, why it has changed, or just what those changes have
meant for all of us.
For almost 20 years, OFAC has been increasingly called upon by individuals,
groups, companies and government to help with animal agriculture and food
related issues.
OFAC has become recognized as a credible and knowledgeable voice for
livestock and poultry.
Knowing our industry
OFAC stays current on food safety issues, animal welfare issues, activities by
individual interest groups, extremist threats to animal agriculture, public attitudes,
animal care and handling issues, environmental concerns and government
legislation.
These issues are daily realities for our member organizations and our members.
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OFAC is involved in a variety of agricultural education and awareness initiatives
including:
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Animal Care
School and public education
Public speaking and training
Publications, videos and websites
News media outreach
As an umbrella organization representing beef, chicken, pork, dairy, egg, turkey,
goat, veal and sheep farmers, OFAC is able to provide information on a wide
variety of animal agriculture issues.
AGRICULTURE’S CORE VALUES
• Ethics
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Innovation
• Strength of Community
• Leadership
• Stewards of the Land
• Trust
• Hard Work
• Commitment
OFAC’S FIVE PILLARS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
OFAC’s Corporate Social Responsibility is based on our five pillars of service to
our industry and our animals through various Animal Welfare, Community
Leadership, Livestock and Environment, Agricultural Education and
Food Safety programs and initiatives.
These five pillars ensure that our lasting contributions meet specific criteria that
promotes and protects our industry, members and animals.
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ANIMAL WELFARE
Farmers are committed to advancing responsible animal farm care. After all, they
are the ones caring for their animals 365 days a year and they know that healthy
and content animals are productive animals.
Farmers support research that helps to further animal welfare and develops
educational programs to show the public how they care for their animals.
Addressing Livestock Emergencies
Barn fires and traffic accidents become more complicated when farm animals
are involved.
I’m in the unique position being
both a full time beef farmer in the
Region of Chatham-Kent, and as a
volunteer firefighter with the local
fire department. I had the
opportunity to attend an OFAC
training workshop designed
specifically for emergency personnel.
Emergency personnel like volunteer
firefighters are often the first
responders on the scene of incidents
like livestock transportation
emergencies or barn fires, yet this
was the first time I’ve ever heard of
such a course being offered. The
information we learned in the
course was invaluable.
Mike Buis, Beef Farmer,
Volunteer Firefighter,
Chatham, Ontario
In 2007, OFAC held several sold out workshops in Ontario for first responders to
livestock transportation emergencies in 2007.
OFAC also released a number of new resources to help equip emergency
personnel with more information on what to do in emergencies with livestock or
poultry.
They include:
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Dealing with the Aftermath of a Pig Barn Fire
Livestock Transport Emergency Guide
What to do with Livestock on the Loose at an Accident Scene
Barn Fires involving Livestock – Facts for First Responders
Barn Fires involving Livestock – Facts for Livestock producers.
OFAC Farm Animal Care Helpline Service - 519-837-1326
Throughout 2007 OFAC continued to offer its Helpline Service. The Helpline is a
confidential “farmer helping farmer” approach of advice and referral on animal
care. The Helpline service ensures farmers provide excellent care for their farm
animals.
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“We are in a world of continuous
education and it is important for
people to be aware of this reality.
If I can get people to slow down,
think about the animals as
individuals, and their needs then I
have achieved something.”
Harvey Wagner,
new CLT Trainer.
Improving Livestock Transportation
In May 2007 OFAC became involved with the
Canadian Certified Livestock Transporters (CLT).
The CLT is a comprehensive training program for
Canadian based livestock shippers, truckers and
receivers within North America.
OFAC joined its sister organizations in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan that
have now become involved in improving training with the project, Putting Farm
Animal Welfare on the Agenda. This is now evolving into a national program.
OFAC’s “Real Farmers with Real Heart” Radio Media Campaign
Who really cares for farm animals? The new “Real Farmers with Real Heart”
radio campaign is introducing the public to farmers who tell their stories of going
the extra mile when caring for their animals.
The goal of the campaign is to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers
– with real stories of real farmers caring for their animals.
The radio campaign began in October and runs into 2008.
Egg Industry Research
OFAC Founding Member Egg Farmers of Ontario (EFO)
has a long-standing commitment to research. Since 1964,
EFO has contributed more than $2.7 million to research
leading to improvements in egg production, food safety and biosecurity.
In fact EFO contributed to the creation of the Omega 3 Fatty Acid- enriched egg,
launched in 1991.
Over the past 30 years, research in the egg industry has evolved from
addressing immediate industry needs, to proactive studies that enhance the
future of the egg industry.
Today’s laying hens are healthier than ever before, due to a combination of
vaccination, management and biosecurity. Feeding and nutrition have become
more efficient. Knowledge of how hens’ reproductive systems function, while still
not complete, has lead to a number of discoveries that have enhanced the egg
production capability of laying hens.
While funding from government and other public sources declines, support from
EFO and other industry groups is vital in order to continue research in the egg
industry.
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COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
OFAC continued to show leadership at all levels of farm life, from updated
procedures and protocols respective to animal welfare, to promoting the hard
work, dedication and values of Ontario’s farmers and their continued
commitment to agriculture.
2008 Faces of Farming Calendar
In October of 2007, OFAC unveiled its third annual FACES of FARMING Calendar.
The calendar celebrates the hard work, dedication and values of Ontario’s
farming community and this year features 19 Ontario farmers and farm families.
FACES of FARMING shows the diverse nature of Ontario agriculture.
When they’re not farming, these participants are active in their communities as
sports coaches and enthusiasts, 4-H leaders, church volunteers, musicians and
agricultural ambassadors.
Participants come from across the province representing 11 types of livestock
and crop farms.
Each year, the calendars are mailed, as an early Christmas present, to 1,000
Ontario politicians. They’re also sent to more than 900 media and 1,200 grocery
stores across Ontario with a letter encouraging retailers to hang the calendars in
a prominent location to show consumers who the people are that produce the
food that they’re buying.
“The postcards are a great tool to
use to write a note to your
neighbours – tell them when you’re
spreading manure, invite them
over for a barbecue or to tour the
farm We need to continue to keep
the lines of communication open
and telling our side of the story.”
Bill Wymenga, Hog Farmer
Good Neighbour Postcards
The Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) and
Ontario Pork provide farmers and agricultural
groups with a new tool to help them do a
better job of telling people about what they do
– a “good neighbours” postcard.
The new postcards feature a full-colour collage of farm-related pictures on the
front, some “did you know” facts on the back, and plenty of space to write a
message on.
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Milk Donations to Ontario Food Banks
Dairy Farmers of Ontario, one of OFAC’s founding members,
played a leadership role in donating about 1.2 million litres of
milk to Ontario food banks between 2006 and 2007.
During the 2006-2007 fiscal year, more than 400 Ontario milk producers
participated in the program which distributes fluid milk products to more than
one hundred provincial food banks serving more than 320,000 people every
month, 40 per cent of whom are children.
The Food Bank Donation Program is a joint industry initiative of Dairy Farmers of
Ontario, the Ontario Dairy Council, the Ontario Milk Transport Association and the
Ontario Association of Food Banks.
Dairy processors provide vital support to the program by donating all costs of
processing the donated milk and the Ontario Milk Transport Association donates
all of the transportation costs involved with transporting the milk.
Gobble Away Hunger Campaign
Another of OFAC’s founding members, Turkey Farmers of
Ontario (TFO) together with the Ontario Association of Food
Banks (OAFB) and Schneiders launched the first Annual Gobble
Away Hunger campaign in 2007.
Turkey Farmers of Ontario
Food banks in six Ontario communities ran a turkey barbecue to raise money for
their local food bank. Plans are in place for the second annual campaign in
2008 with a target of 20 communities participating.
The hope is to grow the barbecue year over year providing much needed funds
for Ontario’s food banks.
TFO will also be supporting the OAFB’s Buy Local – Share Local campaign in
2008, and have earmarked the monies raised from their 24th annual golf
tournament for the association.
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LIVESTOCK AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Farm Animals and the Environment
OFAC and Ontario Pork have partnered on a new brochure explaining
answers to common questions about farm animals and the
environment. This brochure explains topics such as nutrient
management, odour and water quality in an easy to read manner.
“Farm animals and the Environment” brochures
are available free of charge from OFAC.
Agriculture Hits the Trails
“Agriculture Hits the Trails” is an innovative communications project targeted to
families and outdoor enthusiasts who use Ontario’s walking and cycling trails. The goal
is to reach a specific target audience that, until now, has not been reached by
agriculture.
The project will feature a series of signs and billboards that will be placed along
targeted trails throughout Ontario.
Key messages on the signs will include information about the farms those trail users
are passing by - including environmental farm plans, nutrient management, crop
rotation, conservation tillage and other stewardship projects.
The billboards are to be placed on the trails by the fall of 2008.
Promoting Tree Shelterbelts
“This project will benefit hog
producers, their neighbours and
the environment. When we
establish shelterbelts around hog
barns, everyone wins.”
Anne Loeffler,
Provincial Project Coordinator,
Grand River Conservation
Authority.
A unique program is helping Ontario hog farmers learn the
benefits of using tree shelterbelts to cut down on odour
and dust on their farms.
In this partnership between OFAC founding member
Ontario Pork, hog producers and conservation authorities,
forestry technicians have received training on shelterbelt
design around barns.
The project will help farmers and conservation authorities learn more about the
positive benefits of shelterbelts. Shelterbelts around barns must be properly designed,
in order for them to have long term effectiveness.
Trees play an important role by slowing down the wind, sequestering atmospheric
carbon, providing wildlife habitat for birds, insects and small mammals, and beautifying
the landscape.
Farmers who are interested in establishing shelterbelts on their properties should
contact their local Conservation Authority.
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AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
I’m writing to applaud the
efforts of all those involved in
www.farmissues.com/virtualtours .
It is a wonderful tool for teachers.
Following using this website with
my class I was overwhelmed by the
curiosity and interest that it
generated with my students about
farm animals.
Agricultural Education programs, for the general public, continue to be one of
OFAC’s core services.
Thanks for another awesome
teaching resource !
There’s a new internet tool that can take anyone interested in knowing more
about agriculture to a farm from their own computer.
Grade Two teacher,
Newmarket, ON
Visitors to the www.farmissues.com website can now tour 17 Ontario farms
virtually featuring beef cattle, sheep, dairy cattle, deer and elk, chickens, turkeys,
ostrich and rheas, eggs, pigs, goats and veal calves.
With less than three percent of Ontario’s population living or working on farms, it
is increasingly important that farmers find new and creative ways of showing the
public where their food comes from.
Virtual Farm Tours
The Virtual Farm Tour project sets precedence in the industry and is an important
way of making agriculture more interesting and accessible to consumers.
The tours are also available in a CD format and are being distributed to schools
across Ontario with a teacher’s guide that encourages teachers to incorporate the
tours into their educational units.
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Student Tours
In 2007, the Ontario Farm Animal Council
(OFAC) began a new initiative that took
students from culinary colleges out of their
teaching kitchens and onto local farms.
Two tours were held in the fall of 2007 for
students in Ottawa and Peterborough.
When they graduate, these students will work
in some of the country’s top restaurants and
hotel kitchens yet most have no idea where
their product comes from before it reaches
their kitchens.
“It was interesting to see how much
work and manual effort goes into
our food production”
Toronto food writer.
Media Tours
In 2007, OFAC tours took food editors, writers, home economists and cookbook
authors onto farms in the Ottawa and Toronto areas. Over the last four years,
these tours have helped to forge strong relationships between Ontario “foodies”
and farmers and have resulted in a much stronger sense of the work that
farmers put into producing food.
The Real Dirt on Farming
Anyone who is interested in where their food comes from and the facts on
farming in Canada can find it in OFAC’s newest resource “The ‘Real’ Dirt on
Farming – The People in Canadian Agriculture Answer your Questions.”
Students, educators, politicians and the media who want to know more about
issues in agriculture, such as farm animal care or food safety will all find this 36
page full-colour booklet to be a helpful resource.
Since 2006, 70,000 copies of the resource, in both English
and French, have been distributed nationally to politicians,
media, libraries, school boards, doctors’ offices, dieticians,
home economists, culinary colleges, veterinarians and
more. The resource is also available on OFAC’s websites at
www.ofac.org and www.farmissues.com.
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Farmzonwheelz Interactive Farm Exhibit
You are a teenager. Imagine a high-tech, interactive exhibit that you visit at the
Ontario Science Centre, Ontario Place, or the CNE. It’s not about dinosaurs or
space ships or video games. It’s about farmers and farming. And it’s cool.
Seriously.
OFAC has embarked on a three-year project to develop a large trailer, anchored
with a fast-paced video, with interactive educational components that can be
“wheeled” out of the trailer at events to expand the display presence. The
exhibit will be designed to appeal to a very under-reached market – teenagers.
This professional exhibit will be tested and built by the Ontario Science Centre,
with the goal that components of it can easily be duplicated and built for events
and organizations across Canada.
Supporting Rural Youth
In 2007, the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA),
one of OFAC’s founding members, was a proud sponsor
of the 2007 Queen’s Guineas Market Steer and Heifer
Show held at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
The show gives 4-H members the chance to compete with their selected steer
or market heifer against 4-H animals owned by their peers. OCA donated $100
cheques to each of the youth participants in the show. The money is intended
to help cover show costs and show support to the youth who work so hard to
raise the best animal possible.
OCA recognizes the importance of supporting the future leaders of our industry.
The youth of today will invoke change for the future. Ontario agriculture needs to
ensure that rural youth stay involved and interested in the industry for many
years to come.
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FOOD SAFETY
Commitment and Communication: On-Farm Food Safety
Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) is a founding
member of OFAC and participant in many organizations
promoting both development and education to the
agricultural community.
As a leader in the area of food safety, the CFO has implemented a
comprehensive On-Farm Food Safety Assurance Program, performing
approximately 1,200 audits per year. OFFSAP recommends the most modern
methods and techniques for on-farm food safety, emphasizing health,
cleanliness and safety through every step of the production cycle.
CFO brings its message to the consumer and students at trade shows, fairs and
educational public school tours throughout Ontario. CFO's 32 foot automated
replica of a broiler barn is exhibited at fairs along with chicken recipes, nutrition
and safe food handling information. The urban consumer is educated and
myths dispelled regarding the raising of broiler chickens in Ontario at these
venues.
As a result of bio-security on farms today, school educational days are held in
arenas and fair grounds across Southern Ontario. The traveling barn is used to
teach how carefully Ontario farmers care for their birds; what they are fed and
how they are protected from disease and harm until ready for market. Teachers
are sent educational kits for use in the classroom upon request.
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y
20th Anniversar
OFAC’s 20th anniversary
On April 17, 2008 OFAC and its sister group AGCare will celebrate their
20th anniversaries.
The celebration will acknowledge the vision of a group of farm leaders
who came together to create an umbrella coalition with a mission of
representing all of animal agriculture.
The event will commence with separate annual meetings of the two
groups and lead into a joint anniversary banquet in the evening with a
special program to commemorate the achievements of both
organizations.
Thank You
OFAC takes pride in how much we can accomplish together with a
modest budget and a team effort. Thank you to the sponsors of all of
our projects – government, commodity groups, agribusinesses and
individuals. Your support is an important contributor to OFAC’s success.
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Ontario AgriCentre, Suite 106,
100 Stone Road West,
Guelph, Ontario, N1G 5L3
Phone: 519-837-1326 • Fax: 519-837-3209 • Email: info@ofac.org
www.ofac.org
www.farmissues.com