October 30, 2007

 

Canadian pork and beef farmers suggest measures to save industry

 

 

Agriculture in Canada's province of Ontario is facing bleak times, outgoing president of the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture said.

 

Robert Emerson who was at the 66th annual meeting, called for disaster relief for the beef and pork producers hit hard recently by falling prices as a result of the strong Canadian dollar and oversupply in meats.

 

Emerson was speaking at a farewell gathering, as reported by the Owen Sound Times, a local paper.

 

Half the pork and beef producers in the region are now at risk of going out of business, he told the newspaper.

 

Emerson said he would like to see the federal government invest some of its more than US$8 billion surplus tax revenue into agriculture.

 

Incoming president Lorne Underwood said one of his priorities will be communication with the federal and provincial governments. Underwood wants the provincial government's risk management programme extended to include relief to beef and pork producers.

 

Introduced by the Ontario government this year, the program would offset losses caused by low grain and oilseed prices.

 

The province will fund the three-year pilot project with a 40 per cent share while encouraging the federal government to put in 60 per cent.

 

Guest speaker Bruce Pearse, a farmer from Durham region north of Toronto, called for government-funded farm programmes to be re-evaluated to ensure aid goes to deserving agencies.

 

Pearse said governments roll out ad hoc financial assistance programmes in the agricultural sector and hand out money without evaluating the effectiveness of the programs or determining whether the money is well spent.

 

Others were disgruntled over the inspection feeds paid to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which inspects meat from the packing plants and conducts inspections on live animals crossing the border into the US.

 

Calling the fees astronomical, he said Canadian producers in all sectors are at an unfair disadvantage because of the inspection fees.

 

Some at the meeting urged Canada to adapt the US approach of centralising farm policy with a national farm plan and a single agriculture minister.

 

Unlike the US, with just one agriculture secretary, Canada has 11.