Township of St. Clair Fire Department
392 Lyndock Street
Corunna ON N0N 1G0
Chief W. Anderson
On behalf of the Lambton Federation of Agriculture (LFA), we would like to communicate with you an issue that has been coming to the attention of the board more frequently as of late.
As you are aware, Lambton County and surrounding area has had the unfortunate experience of barn fires that involve livestock recently. These situations are difficult for everyone, and first responders are no exception. We would like to share with you the issue that the farm families have been facing after the fire.
The LFA feels every loss of life is tragic, and farmers feel the pain of losing animals, perhaps more than the public realizes. Recent barn losses have thrust this issue into the media, and the farmers, their family and even employees have been facing a backlash from the public. Animal rights groups and individuals have targeted these families over social media, in print and even in person.
These families not only feel threatened, but in some cases have received intimidating and upsetting contact during a very, very stressful and emotional time. While the first responders are not responsible for these situations, there may be some way they can help mitigate the fallout for those affected.
The LFA does feel communicating these losses to the public is important. The Property Loss dollar value is fair, but we respectfully ask that the number of animals lost and specific dollar value allocated to animals be withheld. We feel this is a fair compromisehonoring the interest of the public as well as the farm family.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or if you require more information. We thank you for your time.
Lambton Federation of Agriculture