The Rural Voice, 1978-10, Page 21Rural news in brief
Whelan defends spending cuts
Federal spending cuts in the agriculture
department will not hurt farmers' income
Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan said
recently.
"The cuts haven't touched things vitally
important to agriculture. Research. stabli-
zation programs and crop insurance
haven't been touched at all," Mr. Whelan
said.
The Agriculture Minister was in Cottam
earlier this week to officially open the $1.5
million addition to the Ciba-Geigy pro-
cessing plant.
In an interview, Mr. Whelan said he is
optimistic about the survival of Canfarm, a
computer -information system based at the
University of Guelph.
Farm organizations and the private
sector are looking into making the $6
million program self-sufficient, he said.
An advantage of the Canfarm cutback is
the increased visibility the program has
gained. More people are aware of it now
than ever before, he said.
Mr. Whelan also said he would like to
see the Farm Credit Corporation become
self-sufficient.
"The cuts should get the government
out of the private sector which should be
willing to take over this kind of challenge,"
he said.
The Farm Credit Corporation should not
have to go to the treasury board, he said.
"Farmers and farm organizations should
be willing to invest in other young
farmers."
Mr. Whelan said the responses of farm
organizations to the budget cuts "have
been helpful in 90 per cent of the
instances."
Mr. Whelan said his department has not
contributed to excessive government
spending.
"We have followed the guidelines on
keeping our spending in line. We have
been frugual, yet we have added 13 new
programs to our department."
Combined provincial and federal spend-
ing on agriculture is still less than 4 per
cent of total government expenditures, he
said, adding that in some European
countries, the figure is close to 40 per cent.
Fed's report wrong
Hannam says
Peter Hannam, president of the Ontario
Federationof Agriculture, recently told a
news conference that a federal government
report which stated that Canadians paid
$632 million more for food than they
should have between 1974 and 1976 is
erroneous, misleading and inaccurate.
Hannam, who was speaking at an
agriculture research station in Vineland, 18
kilometers west of St. Catharines, said that
the report by the department of consumer
and corporate affairs is trying to pit
consumers against farmers.
"It is deliberately inflammatory and.very
pro -consumer," Hannam said. "The de-
partment obviously feels it can do service
by stirring up a fight between consumer
and farmers."
You are invited
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and see the quality
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WEEKDAYS 8:30-11:30 a.m., 1-3 p.m.
OR BY APPOINTMENT.
71%.
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A complete line of 12
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Now also building
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An alternate form of
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Manufactured in Canada by
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165 Thames Rd. E.
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[5191235-1530 Telex 064-5815
THE RUKAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1978 PG. 21