NEWSLETTER. February 2012 PEI SHEEP BREEDERS ASSOCIATION. Page 1 of 5. Greetings Fellow Shepherd's,

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1 PEI SHEEP BREEDERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER February 2012 Greetings Fellow Shepherd's, Due to a series of events I am honoured to become the Acting President of the PEISBA. My skills are better suited to be in the barn; however I will give this position my all. Thank You Claude for all your efforts, over the last number of years. Our board of Directors has many new faces with a keen interest in the Sheep industry. We do have challenges!!!! First off, we NEED members, for the health of this association, it is critical. Yes SIZE does matter. As we seek recourses the more folks we have backing the board the better. Here is my plea, contact myself or any director and help us, help you, make a difference. The sheep industry is entering a very opportunistic time for all those involved! Lamb prices are at all time highs as demand is increasing. Canada only is producing 42% of the market. Conditions are favourable to grow a viable and financially rewarding sheep industry on Prince Edward Island. Together we can make it happen. Regards, Harry Elsinga Acting President, PEISBA Mineral Adequate minerals specific for sheep are necessary for ewes and strong, healthy, fast growing lambs. Ryk ter Beek is our depot farm for distributing Balance It Inc. sheep mineral. The price for a 25 kg bag is $22 for members of the Sheep Breeders Association and $24 for non members. Please give Ryk a call at (902) for directions to the farm and to arrange for a suitable pickup time. The Association is interested in making mineral available in other Island locations. Anyone interested in being a depot for sheep mineral can contact Harry Elsinga at or give one of the directors on the list a call. PEI Sheep Breeders' Association launches website The Association has launched a website and will soon be requesting members to submit suggestions and information to keep it current. The website is situated on a server at no cost to the Association; therefore we are limited to what level we can place information. It is still in the process of being built. Your suggestions will assist in making it better. The future will dictate the need for additional levels with added security. You can check out what is already there at The Board of Directors has been talking about a website for some time and wish to thank Jennie Mutch for its design and construction. Jennie has agreed to manage the website and can be reached at jsmutch@edu.pe.ca Page 1 of 5

2 Approved Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags The P.E.I Sheep Breeders Association has been working on having RFID tags available on the island. Kensington Co-op is now carrying them and they are willing to split up packages and sell small numbers of tags but be aware that this will be at a higher cost. The article, elsewhere in this newsletter outlines, once again (July 2011 Newsletter), the timelines for the mandatory RFID tags and information about the decommissioning of the non-rfid tags working toward the anticipated traceability requirements that are being established by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The Atlantic Wool Growers have sold out of all the Kurl Lock # 3 pink tags and we recommend that producers deplete their on-farm stock as soon as possible. The Kurl Lock # 3 pink tag can be used until December 31, 2012 at which time CSF, working with CFIA, hope to have this tag decommissioned. Thus, if a producer has a Kurl Lock # 3 pink tag in the ear of a sheep on December 31, 2012 and wishes to ship that animal on January 10, 2013 an approved RFID tag will have to be placed in the ear - the pink tag does not have to be removed. The use of RFID tags will not only assist the Canadian sheep industry meet its requirements for traceability, provide a management tool for producers, if they wish to use it, it will eliminate many of the tags being placed in the ears of sheep. The feed lot near Suntarra Meats in Calgary that I visited had sheep with as many as five tags, one of which was an RFID tag, in their ears. If producers wish to use a farm tag to identify sheep they may do so in addition to the approved RFID tag being placed at a later date. Please note the wording "Since January 1, Producers are encouraged..." As of January 1st producers do not have to place an approved RFID tag in each sheep / lamb on the farm. If the animal leaves the farm on January 1, 2013 it will have to pocess an approved RFID tag. Thus, you need not have to RFID tag every sheep and lamb on your property after January 1, The pink tags, if you have them, are still approved. You must tag all sheep leaving your property either with a pink tag, prior to December 31, 2012 or an approved RFID tag. On January 1, 2013 you must tag all sheep with an approved CSIP RFID tag leaving the property even if the animal was tagged with a pink tag. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency instructs producers to place the RFID tag in the Right Ear of the animal, not the Left Ear. This placement is intended to provide consistency when animals are being read with particular readers or panel readers across the country. There are a series of tagging videos on the CSF website that are a great resource for producers ( You may also request the same video by contacting Claude Gallant at sandcgallant@isnwireless.ca or by phone If you need further information on tagging commercial or purebred sheep please do not hesitate to contact Jennifer MacTavish jennifer@cansheep.ca as the CSF's Sheep Traceability Coordinator, Mr. Daniel Dion, has moved to a new position. Claude E. Gallant, P.Ag., CSF Director Timelines Towards Mandatory RFID Tags Since July 1st 2011 Ketchum pink Kurl lock # 3 and Allflex pink dangle tags are no longer available for sale from the manufacturers, Ketchum and Allflex, as official Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP) tags. Since October 1st 2011 Page 2 of 5

3 Producers can no longer purchase the Ketchum pink Kurl lock # 3 and Allflex pink dangle tags as official Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP) tags. Since January 1st 2012 Producers are encouraged to tag all animals born or tagged after this date with CSIP approved RFID tags (Shearwell yellow Data SET tag or Allflex yellow RFID Button Tag); Producers need to carefully monitor their stocks and use up inventory of the Ketchum pink Kurl lock #3 and Allflex pink dangle tags as they will be officially removed from the list of approved tags for the CSIP in the near future. The objective is to have the tags decommissioned by 31 December As of January 1st 2013 If the decommissioning process has been successful, resulting in minimal numbers of the non-rfid tags still in circulation, the Ketchum Kurl lock #3 and the Allflex dangle tags will be officially removed from the list of approved tags for the CSIP and will no longer be accepted from this date forward at sales, abattoirs or by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for shipping, transfer or sale of sheep in Canada. Decommissioning of non-rfid tags During 2012, CSF will work with the CFIA to assess the levels of Allflex Dangle and Ketchum Kurl Lock tags still circulating at abattoirs and auction marts across Canada. The objective is to have a minimal number of the non-rfid tags still in circulation in order to decommission In June 2010, the Canadian Sheep Federation approved a motion to move the sheep industry towards mandatory RFID tags. This decision was given a great deal of consideration. Not only does an RFID system help sheep producers meet anticipated traceability requirements, it also gives producers an opportunity to move the industry forward. Government continues to support a mandate to phase in the necessary infrastructure to allow for the tracing of products and food animals from the point of origin (the farm) to the consumer. As such, the sheep industry, in conjunction with other species that have either chosen to move forward and/or were considered one of the priority species with sheep (i.e. beef, swine and poultry), continue to discuss with government what a comprehensive national traceability system will look like. With the necessary infrastructure in place, identified commodities will continue to work with government to develop regulations that will facilitate a comprehensive traceability system. As primary producers, implementation of new technologies by those further down the value chain requires having animals equipped with RFID tags in order to test and use those technologies. In the end, all those along the value chain will be required to comply with new regulations once in place. CSF remains committed to working closely with provincial organizations to provide them with timely communication, information and education required to make sure the RFID system provides a positive return for the industry. We strongly believe that this continues to be the right decision for our industry. And we're confident it will play a key role in helping us realize our tremendous potential. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Canadian Sheep Federation at info@cansheep.ca or Reprinted from Canadian Sheep Federation - From The Flock, Monthly Newsletter, January 2012, Vol. 9, Issue 1 Page 3 of 5

4 Information for Shepherds: Upcoming Information Sessions Three information sessions have been planned; there will be plenty of time for your questions. First session Location Presenter Forages and Sheep Saturday, February 18 th, 2:00-4:00pm Research Station, 440 University Ave., Charlottetown. Dr. Les Halliday, Beef Development Officer, PEI Dept of Agriculture. Second session Parasites in Sheep Friday, March 16 th, 2:00-4:00pm Location Farm Centre, 420 University Ave, Charlottetown Presenter Dr Jeff Witchel, Associate Dean, Graduate Studies & Research at AVC Third session Location Presenter Pasture Management for Sheep Friday, April 20 th, 2:00-4:00pm Farm Centre, 420 University Ave, Charlottetown Dr. Les Halliday, Beef Development Officer, PEI Dept of Agriculture. Cost is $3.00 per session for members of the Association; $10.00 for non-members per session. Please pre-register your name and contact number by calling Carol MacLeod, Program Committee, at Pre-registrants will be notified of cancellations due to weather. Topic suggestions for future information sessions are welcome. If you need further information on any topic addressed in this newsletter please do not hesitate to contact one of the Directors or if you wish to address an issue please feel free to do so. Regional points of view are important and would willingly be received by the CSF Points of View discussion forum. PEI Sheep Breeders Association Board of Directors Directors Contact Address President - Ryk terbeek rykterbeek@rogers.com Vice President (Acting President) - Harry Elsinga harrye@pei.sympatico.ca Secretary - Emily Paynter Emily_paynter@live.com Treasurer - Carol MacLeod carolandjohnm@gmail.com Arthur Jones Claude Gallant sandcgallant@isnwireless.ca Donna Clark donnaclark@pei.sympatico.ca Jackie Paynter paynterspaints@hotmail.com Kathy MacDonald kathymacdonald37@yahoo.ca Melaney Matheson springwater@pei.sympatico.ca Page 4 of 5

5 Directors with positions: Planning Committee / Program / Education - Carol MacLeod Past President & Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF) - Claude Gallant Federation of Agriculture - Ryk ter Beek Lamb Dinner Procurement - Arthur Jones Newsletter Chairperson - Jackie Paynter Director-at-large - Kathy MacDonald Committees: Staff Advisory Committee Representative on CSF Renewal Process - Harry Elsinga Exhibition - Sheep Show Director - Ryk ter Beek (Jennie Mutch) Policy Committee Chairperson - Claude Gallant (Kathy MacDonald) Newsletter - Jackie Paynter (Jan Holmes, Carolyn Wood) Website Coordinator - Jennie Mutch Exhibition, Lamb Dinner, etc. - Jane Palmer Page 5 of 5