Predation of Livestock

Livestock and poultry producers are entitled to make claims to the Town of BWG for livestock or poultry injuries and deaths due to predation by coyotes, dogs, wolves, and other wildlife, under the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program (OWDCP). 

Eligibility  

To be eligible for the program, livestock or poultry owners must have a:

• Valid Farm Business Registration Number or a valid exemption
• Valid Ontario Premises Identification number for the property where the injury or kill occurred

I Experienced a Loss – Now What?

1. Notify a Livestock Investigator as indicated below within 48 hours of discovering the injury or death of your livestock or poultry.
2. 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), add lime around the site, and take photos of the injuries/carcass(es) and scene.
3. ​If an animal sustained an injury, immediately seek veterinary care 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.

Municipal Livestock Investigator Contact 

If you believe you have suffered an injury or kill of livestock or poultry due to predation, you should immediately notify the Livestock Investigator at 905-775-5366 ext.1702.

The Claim Process

The Livestock Investigator has 72 hours from when they are contacted to attend on-site and investigate the predation claim. They will complete a written report and submit it to the BWG Enforcement Division within 7 business days. The report will detail the type of predator, the extent of damage to the livestock or poultry, at least three pictures of the site, and any other evidence to support the report and claim.

Producers are required to provide a valid Farm Business Registration Number, Premises ID Number, and Social Insurance Number to the Predation Investigator, to be included in this report. The livestock owner may also submit additional evidence to support the application such as past sales receipts, breeding records, registration documents, or other photos.

A copy of the report will be mailed to the livestock owner when they received it from the Livestock Investigator.

The Enforcement Division will forward the report and evidence as supplied by the Livestock Investigator to OMAFRA who will review the application. If eligible, a compensation amount will be assigned and the owner will be informed directly by OMAFRA of their decision within 30 business days of submitting a complete application.

Maximum amounts of compensation have been set by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), and can be found on the OMAFRA ​website​. 

The livestock owner has a right to appeal OMAFRA's decision. If no appeal is filed within 20 business days of the compensation amount being assigned, OMAFRA will notify the Town to reimburse the livestock owner.

For more information, please contact us.