Compensation for Livestock and Poultry

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Livestock and poultry producers are entitled to make claims to their local municipality for livestock or poultry injuries and kills due to predation by coyotes, dogs, wolves and other wildlife under the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program.

What to Do?

Notify the Township within 48 hours of discovering the injury or death of livestock or poultry, or damage to beehives, a bee colony, and/or beehive-related equipment.
Preserve the injury/kill site. Do not move, destroy or dispose of the carcass(es) or evidence until the investigator agrees it/they can be disposed of or destroyed. To preserve the site, avoid walking in or around the area, place a tarp over the carcass(es) and take photos of the injuries/carcass(es) and scene.
Immediately seek veterinary care if an animal sustained an injury, or other humane treatment options to prevent further suffering. Veterinary care costs are eligible under this program up to the Fair Market Value of the livestock. All receipts and invoices should be saved and submitted with the application.

What Happens Next?

The Township will assign a Municipal Investigator to perform an impartial investigation within 72 hours of receiving the notification of the injury or death of livestock or poultry.
The Municipal Investigator will take three to six colour photos per eligible kill/injury incurred and collect all necessary information to accurately complete the application.
The Municipal investigator is responsible for providing a completed program application to the owner and Township within seven business days of completing an investigation.
The Township will review the completed application and submit the completed application and any additional evidence to OMAFRA's program administrator for review.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the program, the owner must meet the following conditions:

Be a person (includes a sole proprietor, corporation, partnership and unincorporated association).
Be in compliance with and remain in compliance with all federal, provincial and municipal laws.
Have a valid premises identification (PID) number for the farm property where the damage or kill occurred or a confirmation letter provided by the Indian Agriculture Program of Ontario (IAPO), or, for beehive, bee colony or beehive-related equipment damage, have a beekeeper ID registered under the Bees Act.
Have a valid Farm Business Registration Number (FBRN) or valid FBRN exemption.
A valid FBRN will be current as of the date of injury or death listed on the application, and it will also reference the owner's name (business or owner name) listed on the program application.
A valid FBRN exemption will:
1. Be current as of the date of injury or death listed on the application.
2. Reference the owner's name (business or owner name) listed on the program application
3. Be one of the following:
  - Religious Exemption: requires a copy of the Religious Exemption Letter as provided by the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal (AFRAAT).
  - Cultural Exemption for Indigenous producers: requires a letter from the Indian Agriculture Program of Ontario (IAPO) verifying the farm business operates in the First Nations community.
  - Gross Farm Income Exemption Certificate: granted by OMAFRA.
Provide and demonstrate that reasonable care of livestock, poultry, beehives, bee colonies and beehive-related equipment has been taken in order to prevent predation.
Ensure sufficient evidence is available in order to determine that predation was the cause of death/injury.
Agree to fully cooperate with any audits related to compensation the owner receives under the program
Be eligible to receive compensation.
Agree to be bound by the requirements of the OIC and these program guidelines.

The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs may, on an annual basis, update the eligibility requirements and add further eligibility criteria

Eligible Livestock Species

Alpaca
Bison
Cattle
Deer
Donkey
Elk
Emu
Fox
Fisher
Goat
Horse
Lynx
Llama
Marten
Mink
Mule
Ostrich
Racoon
Rabbit
Rhea
Sheep
Swine

Eligible Poultry Species

Bobwhite, northern
Chicken
Duck
Goose
Grouse, ruffed
Grouse, spruce
Grouse, sharp-tailed
Partridge, gray (Hungarian)
Pheasant, ring-necked
Ptarmigan, rock
Ptarmigan, willow
Turkey, wild
Turkey

Eligible Wildlife Species for Damage to Livestock and Poultry

Bear
Bobcat
Cougar
Coyote
Crow
Eagle
Elk
Fisher
Fox
Hawk
Lynx
Mink
Raccoon
Raven
Turkey vulture
Weasel
Wolf

Eligible Wildlife Species for Damage to Beehives, Bee Colonies and/or Beehive-Related Equipment

Bear
Skunk
Raccoon
Deer

Eligible Damages

Eligible livestock/poultry killed by an eligible predator.
Veterinarian costs for eligible livestock/poultry injured by an eligible predator.
Beehives, bee colonies and/or beehive-related equipment damaged by an eligible predator.

Disposal or Destruction

The owner of the livestock or poultry cannot destroy, dispose of, or permit to be destroyed or disposed of, the carcass of any livestock or poultry reported killed until the municipal or territorial investigator has seen the carcass(es) and agrees that the carcass(es) can be destroyed or disposed of. The one exception to this rule is if the owner of the livestock or poultry is required to dispose of the livestock or poultry because of the requirements set out under Ontario Regulation 106/09 (Disposal of Dead Farm Animals), which states, "an operator may hold a dead farm animal following its death for up to seven (7) days for the purposes of a post-mortem activity." The owner of livestock or poultry shall comply with the requirements set out for the disposal of animals under Ontario Regulation 106/09 of the Nutrient Management Act, 2002 at all times.

Where the municipal investigator is unable to complete a full investigation within seven days, the owner will need to dispose of the carcass(es). Given that the municipal or territorial investigator will not have an opportunity to see the carcass(es), the death will be attributed to wildlife provided that the owner has collected sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the death was caused by wildlife and that the carcass(es) was/were disposed of in accordance with Ontario Regulation 106/09. The owner is encouraged to take and submit colour photos of the carcass(es), the location where the carcass(es) was/were found and document all evidence indicating an attack occurred to ensure that the program administrator possesses sufficient evidence to evaluate the application.