A Special Letter From

Karen Huber

Government "Suspicion" Threatens Historic Family Farm

"Mommy, the sheep are coming! All the sheep are coming over here!" My three and five year old daughters squeal with delight as the small flock of sheep rush over to accept the treat of cauliflower leaves offered by eager little fingers. With a twinge of sadness, I grab my camera and snap away. This place – Fairburn Farm on Vancouver Island outside Duncan, B.C. – has been a source of such happy memories for our children. Here they have discovered the thrill of feeding an orphaned lamb milk from a bottle, gathering eggs from a henhouse, and luring farm cats from the barn with morsels of cat food. Our family has been coming to this working farm/bed and breakfast for three years, but this may be our last visit.

Three-year-old Christina Huber befriends some sheep at historic Fairburn Farm.

Mad Cow Disease, or Government Gone Mad?

When we arrived this Labor Day Saturday, eager for our twice-yearly stay at the place we affectionately call "the farm," we were worried to discover that owner Darrel Archer had been in an accident two weeks before, breaking his left arm in eight places. Two weeks after a four-hour surgery to repair the shattered arm, Darrel was bravely donning rubber boots and using his right arm to attend to chores.

Yet it is not this stroke of bad luck that threatens Darrel and Anthea Archer with the loss of the beautiful, historic farm where they have raised their six children. The family may lose their home and livelihood due to a perverse reversal on the part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which had permitted the Archers to import 19 water buffalo from Denmark in January of 2000. Late on Friday afternoon, September 1, the Archers had received a letter from the Winnipeg office of the CFIA, ordering them to export or destroy the water buffalo and their 7 calves by September 15, which left them 8 working days.

The Archers secured an extension until October 13, and their attorney convinced the CFIA that there were not reasonable grounds to order removal of the animals as alleged in the notice letter. The CFIA promptly reissued the notice, ordering delivery of the animals to Winnipeg for destruction on November 6, based upon a "suspicion" that they might threaten the food supply.

The water buffalo were a costly investment which would provide North American water buffalo farmers badly needed new bloodlines for breeding. The Archers had planned to breed the animals and to use milk from the buffalo to produce mozzarella cheese. After an eight-month quarantine, the animals are obviously healthy, with one of the buffalo due to give birth during our visit. Now the new mother and calf face destruction, with the rest of the herd, on November 6. The Archers face financial ruin (as well as mounting legal bills) and the loss of their farm, which has been operated by Darrel’s family since the 1950s.

The reason? The remote threat of BSE – bovine spongiform encephalopathy – which has never been reported in water buffalo. The Archers’ buffalo had been certified as healthy by veterinarians in both Denmark and Canada (the nine buffalo born in Bulgaria were also examined in that country) and have never been fed any animal byproducts, which are suspected of causing BSE. The veterinary inspector in Copenhagen, Dr. Hans Joergen Sorensen, performed a risk assessment on the Archers’ water buffalo before the Canadian government permitted their importation. He determined there was virtually no chance that the water buffalo, which have not had contact with cattle or any other farm animals, could be contaminated with BSE.

Darrel and Anthea Archer have invested their life savings in a herd of water buffalo from Denmark.

Family Farm has been a Pioneer in Organic, Sustainable Agriculture

The thin topsoil of Vancouver Island supports limited agriculture. The soil is better in the Cowichan River Valley, where Fairburn Farm is located. Through careful soil conservation, two generations of Archers have coaxed the land to provide a bounty of organic vegetables. It is no surprise that they would be pioneers in the fledgling North American water buffalo industry. Water buffalo convert poor quality feed efficiently and do not require additional grain or protein added to their feed. They are resistant to many common infections in cattle and do not require antibiotics. This makes them a safer food source than cattle.

Tourism for nine months of the year supplements the Archers’ income. The historic farmhouse is quiet and serene, providing a breathtaking view of fields, forest, the valley and the mountains. It is an idyllic setting for rest, spiritual renewal, and family fun. Guests from all over the world appreciate how the Archers have endeavored to preserve and share this fast-disappearing way of life.

Farming and operating a bed and breakfast are notoriously difficult occupations. The Archers have labored endless hours to do both very successfully. It is unusual to find a bed and breakfast which welcomes children – the Archers welcome them with open arms. Anthea Archer takes time from her busy day to make guests feel special, offering guests a cup of tea when they arrive and lovingly tucking in a child’s "Piglet" as she makes a bed.

Breakfast is bountiful, delicious, and organic, even on this difficult weekend for the Archers. We feast on wonderful oatmeal, blueberry pancakes, scones, muffins, toast, eggs, cereal and fruit, sadly realizing that this may be our last visit. Our family has enjoyed this peaceful refuge from urban life. As a child, I had the good fortune to visit my grandparents’ farm. My own children have gained a precious glimpse of farm life thanks to the Archers’ wonderful hospitality.

In an era when so many family farms are threatened, the Archers have succeeded – until now – by using innovative farming methods, by experimenting with new products, by doubling as innkeepers, and by working very hard. It is inconceivable that their government (preoccupied, perhaps, by USDA and NAFTA concerns) would bring this irreplaceable way of life to an end. The Archers, who support the CFIA’s zero tolerance for BSE, still hope to convince the Ministry of Agriculture that their animals are safe and healthy. They have invited the government, in conjunction with interested universities, to establish a long-term water buffalo quarantine, research and production program on Fairburn Farm. They will continue their fight in court. I hope that justice will prevail, and that it will not be too late for Fairburn Farm. .

Karen Huber