The Lucknow Sentinel, 1981-04-29, Page 5Leeknew Sentinel, Wednesday, Ap*U 29, 1951--Pnan 5
Propose changes to crib regulations
Federal •Consumer and
Corporate Affairs Minister
Andre Ouellet announced
last week proposed revisions
to regulations under his
department's Hazardous
Products Act governing the
design and safety of cribs.
the revisions will regulate
the design of crib endboards
and corner posts, including
those with finials, which
could result in injury or death
to children due to entrap-
ment,
The current regulations,
issued in 1973, cover slat
spring and many other,
aspects of crib design that
are potentially dangerous to
children.
Concern about these part-
kular design features was
caused by the death of a
20-inonth-old child whose
pyjamas caught on -a finial -
•type corner post while she
•
Electronic grading holds
,promise for hog grading
More than 60,000 hogs are,
slaughtered and graded at
southern Ontario packing
houses- each week. Present
grading systems are becom-
• ing too slow to keep up with
the increasing volume of
hogs, but electronic technol-
ogy may soon provide a'
• solution.
"Hogs are graded by
measuring the backfat thick-
ness of the carcass with a
ruler," says Dr. Steven Jon-
es,.University of Guelph
animal scientist. "This is one
area of prOcessing that could
be improved with electronic
technology."
A .research project, funded
by' the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and. Food and the
Ontario Pork Producers'
Marketing Board, is compar-
ing two electronic devicesfor
measuring the backfat thick-
ness in pork carcasses.
• One device works on the
principle of ultrasonics. High
frequency sound waves are
transmitted from a calculat-
pr-sized instrument via a
transducer into the, carcass.
When the' waves hit muscle,
• they return a backfat reading
to a digital display terminal.
The second device, devel-
oped in New Zealand, is' a
sensor probe that is inserted
into the carcass. The probe
• detects fat and muscle and
boundaries by color, and
sends the information back to
a display terininal.
"Both of these devices are
working fairly well in tests
but it's too early to deter,
mine which is the best for our
purposes," says Dr. Jones. ,
"Both have the capability of
adapting to a completely
computerized system that
could grade and print out the
information for each individ-
ual carcass."
Electronic grading pres-
ents advantages to produc-
ers, packers and consumers.
Because the electronic grad-
ing improves the accuracy of
the grading system, produc-
ers would be paid more fairly
for their hogs. Paekers would
only be paying the producer
• for the quality of the carcass.
Lean pigs would be more
•easily identified, so produc-
ers would have greater in-
• centive • to produce leaner
• pigs. Leaner pigs result in
higher quality pork for the
cons u iner• •
"The long range effects, of
• electronic grading could also
change the way we process
• pork," says Dr. Jones. "Be-
• ing able to grade the hog
carcass immediately after it
• is killed, instead of at the end
• of the processing line, could,
made skinning hogs a viable
processing method.' '
From an energy stand-
point, present methods are
expensive •Skinning ,would
eliminate the need to main-
tain the 60 C -scalding tank
used to remove hair from the
carcass and the gas burners
used to remove any remain-
ing hair. Processing by skin-
ning also provides a second-.
ary by-product - the pigskin.
From, the standpoint .of qual-
• ity, skinning permits a faster
cook down' period for the
carcass than the present pro-
• cessing methods.
University of Guelph re-
• search into electronic grad-
• ing began in February. Dr.
Jones expects to have some,
• results by the end of June.
• was trying to climb out of her
crib.
• "Finials, or wood turnings
used t�1 nish off corner posts
for decorative purposes,
have been used extensively
in 'colonial design' cribs for
some 20 year," Mr. Ouellet
explained. 66 This is the first
crib accident of this type that
has been brought to the
department's attention.
"What must be emphasiz-
ed here," the minister ad
ded, "is that cribs should be
considered first and foremost'
as safety devices intended to
protect children during hours
when they cannot be under
direct supervision. They are
not mere pieces of furni-
ture!"
Mr. Ouellet emphasized
• that he would be moving
quickly to reduce the oppor-.
tunity for corner post entrap-
ment accidents, advising that
regulations on crib corner "In addition, the - revised
posts, with or without finials, regulations will establish re -
would become effective Sept- quirements for cut-out sec -
ember 1 of this year, with the tions of crib enboards to
balance of the revisions to prevent possible head en -
take effect January 1; 1982. trapment."
"Industry has agreed to In making his announce -
co -operate in this matter and ment, the Minister urged
will eliminate all finials and parents, those in charge of
knobs from corner posts prior day-care centres, and hotel
• to September of this year." and motel operators to in -
he notedspect cribs regularly to en -
Based on discussions with sure they are in good, safe
industry, the revised crib mechanical condition. At the
regulations will limit corner same time, he drew attention
post projection abOve top crib to physicians' suggestions
end rails to one centimetre, that once children reach \ tlie
and will reuire that the climbin e of their de el -
g g
design prevent possible en opment, they usually have
trapment of children's cloth- outgrown their cribs, "In this
ing. instance, the child might be
"These requirements will safer if placed in a junior
-
eliminate decorative post it- size bed. Or, as an alienist -
ems such as the knob involv- tive, the drop side of the
ed in the unfortunate accid- child's crib could be lowered
ent that identified the prob- to minimize the risk of injury
!ern," Mr. Ouellet explained. due to falling."
For quack s control -
Nothing works like Roundup®.
1.4
• Before you till quackgrass
thb spring, let ft grow until
les at the 3 to 4 leaf stage.
\ Then, apply Roundup. •
You really can get ready to control quackgrass
by letting it grow undisturbed this spring. Don't
• touch it or till it, until it's actively growing and
most weedsare M 3 to 4 leaf stage
• (20 cm in height). Then, apply Roundup®
herbicide by Monsanto.
Tillage may break up and spread live
• rhizomes throughout your field and all plants
may not re -grow to the proper stage in time
for treatment with Roundup. Roundup, however,
controls emerged quackgrass above and
below ground, when used properly.
Roundup is so effective, that many
farmers, using it as the keystone of their
quackgrass control programs, have been
able to achieve manageable control for
up to 3 years after one application. And
since Roundup has no residual soil activity,
you can till and plant wheat, oats, barley,
corn or soybeans only 5 days after treatrnent,
without risk of crop injury.
In those infested fields you plowed last fall,
quackgrass may not be ready for Roundup
before planting. If so, we recommend you wait to
apply Roundup as a spot treatment in the crop -
or after harvest, when quackgrass has regrown to
the proper stage.
See your dealer soon about Roundup.
If you want to control quackgrass—nothing
works like Roundup.
1,1li
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y)vj\N
CI
Monsanto
•.$
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW THE LABEL FOR ROUNDUP.
Roundup* is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company
Monsanto Canada Inc., Winnipeg, Montreal, Toronto, Regina, Saskatoon; Calgary.
RCN:1.81 6 Monsanto CoMpany 1981 •
Nothing works
like Roundup.
' - •
t ,
• • • • .
A