Word just came out this week that Ontario’s Food Banks are being encouranged to reject Game Meats!
WHAT????
Food Banks Canada took a stance with their “strong recommendation” to food banks specifically in Ontario, to reject meat not raised in captivity or killed in a licensed slaughterhouse.
“Deer and moose are the most organic meat you can get, and is consumed by millions of hunters every year,” said president of the Ottawa Valley branch of Safari Club International, Len Dickinson, during an interview this week.
“It seems totally ridiculous that Ontario’s food banks would rather see people go hungry than allow them to eat properly processed wild game.”
The executive director of Food Banks Canada claims the recommendation to reject game meat goes back to an old 2001 Ontario provincial law.
Under the old 2001 regulation, meat cannot be sold or distributed unless the animal was slaughtered in a government-licensed facility and inspected prior to slaughter.
Food Banks Canada says there is no provision in the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act for game meat to be used for public for consumption unless they are the licensed owner of the meat.
Until this year, Food Banks Canada openly accepted game meats from across the country making this recent decision somewhat bewildering.
According to a National Post article, other provinces have no problem accepting wild game meats:
“The Saskatoon Wildlife Federation has held the “Hunt for Hunger” campaign encouraging hunters to hand over moose, elk and deer to charity. In the territories, some food distribution programs even deal exclusively in wild game. In March, the government of Nunavut launched the Country Food Distribution Program, a $1.7-million anti-poverty scheme to send caribou, seal and muskox to Arctic communities.
The Edmonton Food Bank accepts 2,000 to 3,500 kilograms of wild meat each year, according to executive director Marjorie Bencz. “We appreciate the support because it brings donors who normally wouldn’t be participating with us,” said Ms. Bencz.
In Cranbrook, B.C., this fall, to deal with growing herds of violent, urban deer, city officials have begun slaughtering them with bolt guns and handing them over to the local food bank. Every year, conservation officers in the Yukondistribute several thousand kilograms of road-killed meat to local communities.”
For the first time ever, the Safari Club International’s donation of venison was rejected by a food bank in Lanark. The meat was even process at a provincially licensed butcher shop.
Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this picture??
Out of the blue, Ontario‘s Food Banks are being forced to reject the most pure and organic meat available for human consumption? And the folks who need it the most are the ones who suffer?
Are they crazy??
I smell a rat here folks, and I’m not talking about a tasty and highly eatable muskrat, just a plain old disease-ridden sewer rat!
Outdoorsguy
P.S. Thanks to Research Assistant – Chessy, for the heads-up on this story.
I think this story stinks… people need food Every body says hunting is for the elite people.. If its not good enough for my family to eat I would not be giving it to people, the Mnr has been giving it away for years. I think it is time that even non hunters get involved in this, maybe the non hunters can donate money and hunters donate meat and the money donated will pay for the butchering . It is a SAD day when a group of people trying to do what is best for people .
Jeff I have been donating meat and money to the Virginia program for years. it is very successful down there.. here is a quote from their website.. makes me feel very very warm inside to be a hunter . “Hunters for the Hungry would like to express to every corporation, business, organization, and individual their deepest and most sincere appreciation for their past, present, and continued support. Your devotion and dedication to helping our feeding program allowed us to set another record in 2010, processing and distributing 407,796 pounds to needy men, women, and children all across Virginia. Our goal for 2011 is 400,000 pounds, 1.6 million servings”
YES thats 1.6 million meals
and one more thing…. if you can watch this video. don’t anyone tell me hunters are ruthless killers. I know this will not get the attention it needs being on a hunting blog. but this is a start.
Thanks again Mr Research Assistant, that’s an excellent vid!
Too bad something as important and meanful as the FHFH only receives a scant 1300 hits, while some other nonsense video gets a million!
Outdoorsguy
This is just sad. I work for the Ottawa Food Bank through their Community Harvest program, and to think that they are at the same time saying they need more money AND sorry we won’t take free meat.
The problem is that at the top they have business types, who have never been hungry, telling those who deal directly with those that are hungry that sorry, you can’t feed them that.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/06/18/new-york-solves-its-canada-goose-problem-by-feeding-them-to-pennsylvania%E2%80%99s-poor/
And Here’s Gail, saying she won’t feed starving people food that she personally doesn’t have a taste for. Shouldn’t she leave that up to those that would otherwise be going home empty handed?
chess: to add to that, most farmers are hunters to some degree, and through programs like this, we donate 100’s of thousands of lbs of food to the food bank, which would have otherwise added more money to the bottom line.
The only reason they want money is so they can make deals with food chains to by prouducts that are probably about to expire so they can scratch each others backs. just like the 5 cent bag thing , i pay five cents for a bag and they say it goes to charity, yes millions of bags sold dalton gets 1 penny tax and the supermarket donates millons to charity and they get a huge tax break using my money …. these charities non profit organizations are so FU its incredible
perhaps the people making this dumb decision have ties…i smell PETA or the likes
I’m probably not going to make any friends here but here goes…..
I have no objection to fresh road kill that is salvageable or wild game from a cull operation or wild game and fish seized by the MNR being donated to the needy so long as it is intact and not butchered, in other words it is fresh and it must be butchered by the recipient.
As for donating the scraps from the bottom of your freezer no way. Unfortunately there are hunters out there who never consume all that they harvest and it goes to waste. In my opinoin these hunters should be charged for allowing game to spoil.
As for the food bank program; to qualify for hand outs the recipients should have to submit to urine testing for drugs. They should also be non smokers and have a television no larger than 28 inches……. Merry Christmas everyone……Trap.
Good one, Trap!
Merry Christmas to you too!
Outdoorsguy
Because of onerous restrictions on what can be brought back via Air Canada the last few years on our annual trip to Manitoba we have been donating any venison we collect to a needy local family.
Manitoba has a program in place for hunters to donate venison through designated butcher shops. The provincial hunter’s organization the equivalent of our OFAH pays for the butchering.
Doing our part to support this Manitoba initiative we have paid the costs.
It is time our provincial government and OFAH to step up and do their part instead of putting up roadblocks.
That program I like Rick, must admit though it’s the first I’ve heard of it.
Chessy, this seems like a no brainer project, any chance you can use your influence with the OFAH and make this happen here ?
Although we’re far from needy in the food department, we were thrilled to receive the venison from our friend’s hunt this year. We will appreciate it and feel grateful to our dear friend every time we eat it.
More people are food insecure now than ever in recent decades. We need to look very hard at government, regulations and systems that block food from getting to the needy at this time. That’s just unbelievable!
Christine, thanks for your comment.
Its always great to get a new perspective and appreciation for wild game from someone who doesn’t even hunt.
Outdoorsguy
ridiculous
is the word that comes to mind
Trapper, can the OFAH make any money doing this, if not, we are not interested
we need to line pockets not stomachs
Good point Ig.
Christine, I’ll bet these people who you suggest are “food insecure” have the latest gaming system, fastest computer on the market, a large screen television not to mention free recreation centre passes, bus passes and a carton of smokes in the freezer…..”food insecure” = “establish priorities based on handouts”
A little off topic but what ever happend to the work fare program……
Trapper that is so funny OFAH help .. the last time they “helped” was the fish hatchery the guys were buying food out west for the hatchery the ofah took over and demanded that they get food from there suplier the first year the fish did poorly some of the food stunk so bad they could not use it .. the volunteers went back to the old company but the ofah demanded they get paid 5 dollars per bag for a service fee, cause it went through there account.. ps they made every volunteer get a membership to the ofah to be there some of the guys were there for years. If the ofah can not MAKE money they want no part of it
having a great time in the south 3 stripers yesterday but got rained out today… shopping day for the women
Hey Chessy, no deer hunting down there this year?
I was just thinking what a wonderful PR move it would be if the OFAH would step-in now with this Food Banks issue…it would require some man-power but probably not that much in the way of funding to get something going. I suppose the first thing to investigate is how to get around this 2001 ON law which puts a wrench in donated non-licensed game meat.
Does the OFAH have a team of lawyers by any chance?
Outdoorsguy
….and as Rick mentioned, the Prov government could also step up..to find some way around this.
The whole situation is a red-tape laden steaming pile of crap!
Outdoorsguy
fwca 97 part vi
http://www.lois-en-ligne.gouv.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_980666_ev003.htm#BK12
20. (1) This section applies to carcasses of furbearing mammals but not to pelts. O. Reg. 666/98, s. 20 (1).
(8) A person shall not buy or sell the carcass of a furbearing mammal for consumption by a person other than the buyer or his or her immediate family. O. Reg. 666/98, s. 20 (8).
(9) A person shall not sell the carcass of a furbearing mammal for consumption by a person unless the seller advises the buyer in writing that the meat has not been inspected under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001. O. Reg. 666/98, s. 20 (9); O. Reg. 263/05, s. 2.
there used to be a program here in ottawa that would take your wild game and give it to someone in need , but for the life of me i cant remember what it was called .. i found a pamphlet on it at a hunting store once . it would be a shame to lose this because of someones opinion on wild game…
chessy says:
December 27, 2011 at 9:10 pm
having a great time in the south 3 stripers yesterday
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Ig says:easy does it chessy, don’t over do it, don’t forget about the hernia
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jeff.morrison says:
December 28, 2011 at 8:38 am
I was just thinking what a wonderful PR move it would be if the OFAH would step-in now with this Food Banks
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Ig says: ya wouldn’t that be charming…………not going to happen unless there is money in it for them.
wouldn’t it be charming to if they stepped in to tell the Quebec government that there is no way they are getting Ontario residents gun license info. How can they turn that into a money stream. Can’t so drop it.
Thanks
for nothing
deer are not fur bearing animals so this law would not apply
yes hunting deer holding out for bucks for now….. windy again today
chess I’m thinking along the lines of the beavers I end up with in the freezer, if we can’t give away deer, can certainly sell beaver
Here’s the latest post..may be upsetting to many!
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/hunting/mature-buck-taken-by-coyotes-on-robs-property/
Outdoorsguy
i say let em go hungry if they don’t want good game meat which in better for you than the f893247…. sh*t they sell in mc pukes or dirty bird
Hello
Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry Canada is accepting deer meat for 7 Provinces and feeding the soup kitchens. If Food banks don’t want it, it is a huge loss. FHFH only used Provincially licensed slaughterhouses/abbatoirs/butchers. The hunter does the hard part of harvesting the deer and then it goes to the Provincial listed butcher then to soup kitchens to feed the hungry. One deer does feed 200 hungry people at the soup kitchen. Please check out our website. We are continuing our God given right to help our fellow man. http://www.fhfhcanada.org to volunteer to help in your Province please call me Caroline 1-506-433-9096 or email [email protected]