Download (PDF) - The Western Producer

HOGS | SUPPLY MANAGEMENT
Supply managed hog
NEWS
sector idea thrown out BY BARBARA DUCKWORTH
BY MARY MACARTHUR
CAMROSE BUREAU
LEDUC, Alta. — Alberta Pork members
have rejected a resolution asking
the organization to investigate
the possibility of making pork a supply
managed industry.
Ciaran Ormond, who argued in
favour of the resolution, said rising
feed costs and roller-coaster prices
have made hog production
unsustainable, and producers and
government need to take another
look at supply management.
“We need a new and fresh examination
of supply management,”
Ormond said.
Pork producer Rocky Morrell
agreed, saying producers couldn’t
reject the idea of supply management
with the survival of their industry
at stake.
“This is the only answer to give any
credence to our survivability,” he
said. “With supply management, we
finally got consumers to help us out.
They pay for eggs, poultry and don’t
even question it. At the end of the day
the consumer, through the retailer,
has to sustain the industry or make
the decision we don’t want this
industry,” he said.
“Unless massive changes are
made to the industry, it’s a race to
the bottom.… We have got to try
something like this. I don’t see anything
else.”
However, producer Ben Wooley
said supply management would
result in tariffs on exported pork and
put half the producers in the room
out of business.
“The whole idea of building pig
farms on the Prairies and valueadded
agriculture is all because of
the amount of grain we produce. The
premise is still right. We need to be
adding value to what we feed.”
Jurgen Preugschas said exploring
supply management won’t solve
COURT CASE | VITERRA
Charges heard
over fatality at
Viterra terminal
SASKATOON NEWSROOM
Viterra representatives were in a
Saskatoon court Dec. 5 on charges
stemming from a fatality at its terminal
near Rosetown, Sask.
The company faces six charges
under the Canada Labour Code in
connection to death of Paul Cruse
Sep. 8, 2011.
The charges allege Viterra failed to
properly train Cruse in how to unplug
the elevator’s receiving pit or inform
him of workplace hazards such as the
dangers posed by flowing grain.
A federal prosecutor is overseeing
the charges, which were laid last
August, because grain elevators are
administered by federal legislation.
The crown said Dec. 5 that it was
proceeding by indictment, which is
more serious than a summary conviction
offence.
The maximum fine for each charge
is $1 million.
producers’ problems and would be a
waste of money.
Morrell said supply management
should be given a chance. Consumers
buy fair trade coffee to help beleaguered
coffee producers and likely
would buy pork from Canadian
farmers if they knew the seriousness
of the situation.
“These farms are going down,” he
said.
“You wouldn’t believe how many
insolvent farms are out there. The
family farms are really in trouble.
Most of them need a hug and say it’s
over.”
Shuts out disease. Locks in yield.
Practically impenetrable yield protection. With two modes of action, Astound ®
stops Sclerotinia spores from germinating and fungal threads from growing. That frees your
canola to do what it should: yield more.
THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | DECEMBER 13, 2012
AG PROGRAMS | FUNDING
Money for ag programs announced
Research, marketing | Programs to encourage innovation and product development
CALGARY BUREAU
BANFF, Alta. — More than $3 billion
in federal money will be available
this spring to support agriculture
projects over the next five years.
Some of that money is coming
through three Growing Forward 2
programs and will be available April 1,
2013, said agriculture minister Gerry
Ritz at the Alberta Barley Commission
annual meeting in Banff on
Dec. 7.
“That investment represents an
increase of 50 percent in our joint
investments with the provinces and
territories from the last Growing Forward
suite,” he said.
Money will pay for research and
marketing and encourages industry
and scientists from universities as
well as government to collaborate.
The grain and livestock sectors are
encouraged to identify work they
want to see completed to make them
more sustainable or competitive
with new or traditional products.
“For years we have had a tremendous
amount of research going on
but it didn’t necessarily give industry
what they thought they needed,” Ritz
told reporters.
The programs are:
Visit SyngentaFarm.ca or contact our Customer Resource Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682).
Always read and follow label directions. Astound ® , the Alliance Frame, the Purpose Icon and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.
© 2012 Syngenta.
39
• The AgriInnovation program
focuses on investments to develop
and commercialize new products
and technologies.
• The AgriMarketing program will
help industry improve food safety
and traceability systems. It will
also support industry in finding
new markets for their products
through branding and promotional
activities.
• The AgriCompetitiveness program
will target investments to help
strengthen the agriculture and
agri-food industry’s ability to adapt
and be profitable in domestic and
global markets.