Chicken Farmers of Canada amendments

Summary#

This item is the Proclamation Amending the Chicken Farmers of Canada Proclamation (SOR/2023-107). It updates several definitions and rules in the government proclamation that sets out how Chicken Farmers of Canada is organised and how some marketing and quota rules work. The proclamation was signed on May 12, 2023, registered May 19, 2023, and published in the Canada Gazette on June 7, 2023.

What it does#

• Removes the old definition of the Canadian Restaurant and Food Service Association.
• Replaces the definition of “chicken” with one that covers “chicken or any part of a chicken produced in Canada and marketed in interprovincial or export trade.”
• Adds a definition for Restaurants Canada and lets Restaurants Canada appoint one resident who is experienced in supplying prepared foods to consumers to sit on Chicken Farmers of Canada until the end of the agency’s annual meeting in the second calendar year following appointment.
• Rewrites the definition of a quota system so it clearly says quotas can be:
  • allotted by Chicken Farmers of Canada to producers in non‑signatory territories, and
  • allotted by the appropriate provincial Board or Commodity Board on behalf of Chicken Farmers of Canada to producers in signatory provinces.
• Updates the list and names of several provincial Commodity Boards and Boards (examples: Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan).
• Repeals one schedule section (section 9). The proclamation does not explain the practical contents of that removed section in this notice.
• Changes the rules about unpaid charges so that licence fees, levies or charges imposed by Chicken Farmers of Canada that are unpaid 30 days after their due date are explicitly a debt payable to Chicken Farmers of Canada.

Who's affected#

• Poultry producers who sell chicken across provincial lines or for export. The new “chicken” definition and quota wording affect how their production is counted and allocated.
• Provincial marketing boards and farm industry review boards named in the proclamation (for example, the boards for Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island).
• Restaurants Canada (and its members or suppliers), because it can now appoint a member to Chicken Farmers of Canada under the new wording.
• Chicken Farmers of Canada itself, because the changes affect its governance, quota rules and how unpaid fees are treated.
• It is not fully clear from the notice whether other groups (for example, specific processors or wholesalers) will see direct changes; the practical effect could depend on how the agency applies these rules.

Why it matters#

• The updated definitions and quota language change who controls and receives production quotas. That can affect how much individual producers can sell interprovincially or for export.
• Letting Restaurants Canada appoint a member adds a clear channel for restaurant-industry input into Chicken Farmers of Canada decision-making.
• Making unpaid fees a clear debt after 30 days strengthens the agency’s ability to enforce its charges, which could affect producers and other licence-holders who fall behind on payments.
• These are technical but important fixes to how the national marketing agency is structured and how it runs quota and fee rules. For poultry producers and industry stakeholders, the changes could shift representation and administrative responsibility in day-to-day operations.