An educational video, which will provide consumers with factual information on how chicken is produced in British Columbia, is receiving Buy Local program funding.

The BC Chicken Growers' Association will receive $15,500 to help with the cost of producing the short movie and the literature to support it. The video will showcase B.C. family-run chicken farms and the responsibility and care they take in ensuring animal welfare, bio security, food safety and the environment.

The video will debunk several myths, including:

Myth - B.C. chicken producers use hormones and steroids.

Fact - the use of hormones and steroids in the production of chicken is illegal in Canada and has been since the 1960s.

Myth - B.C. broiler chickens are raised in cages.

Fact - They are not raised in cages. They are free-run and have free access to feed and water.

The poultry industry is the second-largest agricultural industry in British Columbia with farmers generating just under half a billion dollars in total combined revenues in 2011. The chicken produced in B.C. is popular both locally and internationally. Asia is a key market. The Philippines was the biggest importer, receiving more than $10 million in B.C. chicken products.

The Buy Local program offers successful applicants matching funds up to $100,000 to launch or expand local food marketing campaigns.

Building the local market for B.C. foods is a key commitment of government's Agrifoods Strategy. A component of the BC Jobs Plan, this strategy is designed to continue to grow the agrifoods sector into a $14-billion-a-year industry by 2017.

The provincial government's Buy Local program is administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C.

Quotes:

Minister of Agriculture Norm Letnick -

"Our hard working B.C. chicken farmers are located throughout province and their high-quality product is consistently in the top five commodities in terms of farms sales each year in B.C. I congratulate the B.C. Chicken Growers' Association on receiving this funding and look forward to seeing the video when it is finished, as they have a great story to tell."

BC Chicken Growers' Association president Ravi Bathe -

"The BC Chicken Growers' Association is grateful for the support from the B.C. government under the Buy Local program. This project will showcase our B.C. family-operated chicken farms and promote the fact we raise the highest-quality chicken in the world without the use of hormones or growth promotants. B.C. chicken is a healthy food choice and a very good protein source."

Quick Facts:

• Chicken farms are located throughout the province and primarily in the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Interior.

• B.C. has more than 300 chicken growers. They produce a variety of chickens from free run and free range to specific breeds such as the Silkie or Taiwanese chicken.

• The BC Chicken Growers' Association was founded in 1957 as a non-profit organization to unite commercial chicken growers in B.C.

Learn More:

B.C. Buy Local program: http://www.gov.bc.ca/agri/buylocal.html

BC Chicken Growers' Association: http://bcchicken.ca/index.php/about-bc-chicken/bc-chicken-growers-association/

Keep up to date on the latest in B.C. foods and beverages: https://www.facebook.com/FoodsBC

For a photo of Minister of Agriculture Norm Letnick buying local chicken, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcgovphotos/8468037981/

Contacts:

Dave Townsend
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Agriculture
250 356-7098

Ravi Bathe
President
BC Chicken Growers' Association
bccga@telus.net