B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries says flooding in the Fraser Valley has led to a ‘heartbreaking’ situation for animals and farmers who have been impacted by rising water.

Lana Popham said Wednesday that thousands of animals have already perished leaving many more in difficult situations. She says the province is rushing to get veterinarians to the animals that are in danger of dying.

“There [are] probably hundreds of farms that have been affected by flooding and we are seeing an animal welfare issue develop,” Popham said. “There will have to be euthanizations that happen but there are also animals that have survived that are going to be in critical need for food in the next 24 hours.”

“We knew we had a window of about three to four days in our poultry sector, in our dairy sector but those stores are running out now. And some of the food that has been stored is underwater itself.”

Popham says it is why B.C. has reached out to feed mills and farmers across the country to see if they can spare food to feed these animals.

In the Fraser Valley, farmers and their neighbours used motorboats, canoes, dinghies and even jet skis to try and move their animals to dry land in a desperate attempt to save whatever livestock they can.

“This is a disaster,” Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun told Reuters. “When I see calves that are underwater and they throw them in the boats to save them, on the one hand, it breaks my heart.”

“On the other hand, I’m just so impressed with our farming community coming together to help each other.”

Popham said the ministry has made ‘300 contacts,’ with different associations and farmers directly.

“I’ve been able to have facetime discussions with farmers, and some of them are in their barns, and some of their barns are flooded and you can see the animals that are deceased…and it’s heartbreaking,” Popham added.

“This is an especially difficult time for our livestock producers, we will make sure that disaster relief funds are available for farmers and that we are supporting them in every step of the way.”

The provincial Animal and Agriculture Lab has also been flooded, she said, noting that facility is needed to test for disease in animals as well as to test the milk supply in the region.

“We are very grateful that Alberta and Saskatchewan have reached out to us and offered their lab services, that is going to make a big difference as we try and get back on our feet,” Popham added.

“This is early days in this disaster for agriculture, things are still unfolding, but [we] are committed to ensuring that agriculture is supported as much as possible.”

Saw incredible grit in Abbotsford today, as farmers and community members rallied to rescue dozens of cattle stranded by #bcflood with boats, dinghies, a jet ski and even a hover craft. Heard these scenes were playing out across the valley.
Photographed for @reuterspictures: pic.twitter.com/B7azI3EeSs

— Jesse Winter (@jwints) November 17, 2021

So many people today said they’d seen floods before, but never like this: pic.twitter.com/TarSyngdsR

— Jesse Winter (@jwints) November 17, 2021