The Rural Voice, 1977-12, Page 13rests of production farmers are facing a
situation comparable to the- depression
years."
The NFU has asked for a special act in
the legislature to set up a Commission to
administer the marketing plan. The
Commission would have the authority to
regulate assemble, buying, selling, tran-
sportation, storing and processing of corn.
The NFU also wants action from the
federal government to put the control of
corn imports under the Canadian Wheat
Board which already ' controls imports of
wheat, oats, and barley. Presently corn
imports are under the department of trade
and commerce.
!Whelan announces
brucellosis program
i
,changes
Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan
Nov. 4 announced changes in Canada's
brucellosis program that will further the
effort to eradicate the disease.
Most of the changes are expected to take
effect early next year, although some ,are
being made immediately. These include
placing greater emphasis on brucellosis
research by Agriculture Canada's Health
of Animals Branch, the appointment of a
planning officer to co-ordinate all
anti -brucellosis activities and an informa-
tion oficer to provide cattlemen and dairy
prodducers with up-to-date information.
The changes expected to be implement-
ed early in 1978 are:
• the division of Canada into separate
regions, to be described as brucellosis -
free. brucellosis low -incidence, and other;
` •placing controls on the movement of cattle
between all regions;
`
*establishment of a new policy for
brucellosis -free listed herds;
*mandatory negative testing for all cattle
Iover six months of age -- except those from
I brucellosis -free regions, brucellosis -free
listed herds, official vaccinates less than 18
months old, steers and spayed heifers -
1 within 60 days immediately before they
enter shows or exhibitions;
i
*an on-farm test requirement for certain
1 age groups of cattle before movement off
the farm in Ontario and Quebec.
I "Our beef producers and dairy farmers
s are fortunate that their herd are among the
by provincial deputy ministers of agricul-
ture who met in Ottawa last week," Mr.
Whelan said. "Arrangements concerning
the increased emphasis on research and
the new staff members were fully agreed to
and have been implemented. Discussion on
the five major changes is continuing but I
am confident they will be in place early
next year."
Brucellosis, a bacterial contagious
disease that causes abortions in cows, now
is controlled in Canada by on-going herd
testing and screening programs operated
by Agriculture Canada. Cattle found to
carry the disease are ordered destroyed
and the farmer compensated.
. Current regulations include testing of
cattle at auction markets, keeping herds
under quarantine until they have passed
two negative tests, requiring a negative
herd test 60 days before a farm auction,
licensing of livestock dealers who hold
cattle on their premises and requiring them
to blood test animals and record cattle
movements, testing of animals moving
between certain provinces, slaughtering of
calves whose mothers are found to have
brucellosis, and slaughtering herds when
spread of brucellosis in the herd cannot be
stopped.
Big cattle shipments
to Bruce farmers
An unusual sight took place in Bruce
County when in the brief span of about a
week, 31 carloads of Western cattle arrived
by train.
Harvey Davis of Dobbinton said that 14
carloads arrived one week and 17 carloads,
containing 1200 head of cattle arrived the
next. The shipment was to be distributed to
12 cattlebuyers in Bruce, Grey and Huron
counties by transport truck after arrival at
Walkerton station.
Report on Kincardine
project expected soon
rejected heat from the Bruce Nuclear
Power Development.
The Steering Committee reports that a
study, which is being undertaken by
consultants Conestoga -Rovers & Associ-
ates, of Waterloo, in conjunction with
Ontario Hydro, is progressing well and is
expected to be submitted to the Steering
Committee in November.
The study is aimed at establishing .the
conditions under which suitable green-
house heating and fish rearing facilities
could be developed by using reject heat
from the Bruce Nuclear power generating
plant, located on Lake Huron near
Kincardine.
Important aspects of the study are to
examine the economic and technical
feasibility and to assess the commercial
potential in order to promote interest by
the private sector in developing the
necessary facilities. Once the study is
completed, it will be examined by the
Steering Committee to determine what
further action is appropriate.
The Steering Committee, which is
chaired by the Deputy Minister of Energy,
has broad representation from other
provincial Ministries, Ontario Hydro and
from the communities where the develop-
ment could take place.
Warden Andrew Cormack of Bruce
County, Reeve Alvin Thompson of the
Township of Kincardine and Councillor
Brian Grant of the Town of Kincardine, are
local members of the Committee. Other
members represent the Ministries of
Natural Resources, Agriculture and Food,
and the Resources Secretariat as well as
the Ministry of Energy and Ontario Hydro.
The Kincardine project, which was first
launched by the Government last May at
the suggestion and with the support of the
local communities involved, has already
sparked wide interest across the province.
Similar projects are being suggested and
actively considered by local officials from
communities adjacent to Ontario Hydro's
scheduled Darlington and Atikokan gener-
ating stations. The Darlington Generating
Station is in the first stages of construction
near Bowmanville on Lake Ontario, and
work is to begin early next year on the
Atikokan Generating Station at Marmion
Lake about 120 miles west of Thunder Bay.
Although Atikokan is fueled by coal and
not a nuclear -fired power plant, it would be
possible to develop a similar heat
conversion process.
healthiest in the world," Mr. Whelan said.
A status report on the Kincardine Project
"Brucellosis is a problem disease. We feel
was released in October by Ontario Energy
that with these tighter regulations and the
Minister James Taylor as a result of
Dairy farmers i n quota
co-operation of farmers, we can beat it."
information provided by the joint Steering
The changes stem from meetings on
Committee which is co-ordinating planning
shortage bind
brucellosis held in Winnipeg last June
for the project.
between Health of Animals Branch
Mr. Taylor, who recently returned from
officials, representatives of the beef and
a study tour of European developments in
dairy industry, provincial veterinarians and
of the Canadian Veterinary -Med
energy, was very impressed with the way
some European countries take full
Alar a number of Ontario dairyfarmers
1 Tmembers
ical Association.
advantage of reject heat created by the
face quota problems according to Ontario
Milk Marketing Board chairman Kee
g
Recommendations for the chap g es were
electric power generating process.
McKinnon.
1
made by a subcommittee formed at the
Mr. Taylor said he would like to see
,
a
Already, he said recently, 300 farmers
farmers
1
meeting and staffed by Health of Animals
maximum use made of this energy
potential in Ontario where it is economic.
have run out quota, another 1000 are im
1
Branch disease experts.
"Agreement in principle was reached
The Steering Committee was established
what he termed "real trouble" and another
1000 are likely to be in trouble before the
last month by representatives of the groups
b the Ontario Government earlier this
Y
to consider the potential uses of
dairy year ends on March 31. This quota
who attended the Winnipeg meeting and
year
THE
RURAL VOICE/DECEMBEK 1977, .13. _ �