Inductees

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Craig Hunter dedicated his professional career to the advancement, viability, and stability of the egg and pullet sectors of the Ontario poultry industry.  This included Ontario hatcheries, graders and others across an extensive supply chain.  His ability to recognize emerging trends in the industry led to his leadership in bird health, welfare, innovative housing and product development.

Much of Craig’s career was spent as Vice President of Grading and Poultry Operations at Burnbrae Farms. There he and the Hudson family, emphasized improved biosecurity, bird welfare, health, nutrition, and housing.  Craig and the Burnbrae team went on to support research at the University of Guelph to incorporate flax into the diet of the layers resulting in the introduction to the market of Naturegg Omega 3 and Omega Plus eggs.  He also added more variety by housing some hens in free-run open concept systems thus bringing free-run eggs to the market, followed by the organic category.  All these products continue to resonate with consumers.

As a passionate advocate for the industry, Craig had influence well beyond his role at Burnbrae Farms. Between the 1980s and 2022, he was one of the developers of three successive releases of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pullets and Laying Hens.  These Codes helped to shape the on-farm audits for all Ontario egg farmers.

Craig was also a key member of several national committees and task forces dedicated to controlling salmonella in eggs.  He was instrumental in creating the role of Ontario Poultry Specialist at OMAFA starting in 1984.  He was appointed to the board of The Center for Food Integrity in the United States (2010-2016) which worked to grow consumer trust in the food system.  He represented the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council on multiple committees of the Egg Farmers of Canada and represented Egg Farmers of Ontario as its representative to the Pullet Growers of Canada.  He served as a director on the Egg Farmers of Ontario board of directors from 2011-2021.

Craig has received numerous awards and recognitions including Poultry Worker of the Year from the Poultry Industry Council in 2008, the Get Cracking award in 2021 from Egg Farmers of Ontario, and the CPEPC Outstanding Contribution Award in 2022.

Craig Hunter has done a great deal to improve, enhance and standardize many innovations within the egg and pullet sector in Ontario and beyond. His hard work, dedication and advocacy make him a worthy inductee into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame.