The Rural Voice, 2004-04, Page 9National Farmers Union -Ontario NEWSLETTER
Ontario Office: R.R. 2, Godfrey, ON KOH 1TO - Phone: 613-273-5545
Email: nfuo@rideau.net Website: www.nfu.ca/on
NFU calls for immediate action on BSE Crisis
There is a crisis on family farms
across Canada. Since the closure of
the U.S. border in May, following the
discovery of a single cow with bovine
spongiform encephalopathy,
Canadian cattle farmers and rural
communities have been plunged into
an ever deeper crisis.
The National Farmers Union calls
for immediate action.
We need:
• an emergency cash payment of
$300 per on-farm calf;
• a floor price packers would have to
pay for cattle, set to ensure farmers
receive the same portion of the retail
value of their beef that they received
before the BSE crisis;
• mandatory testing of all slaughter
cattle over 30 months of age;
• a ban on all animal by-products in
all animal feeds for animals destined
for human consumption;
• a plan to deal with the expanding
inventory of older cows,
• and long-term plans to allow family
farms to feed Canadians.
What can you do:
Ask the people below to support
the above points.
Call or write the Prime Minister.
Rt. Hon. Paul Martin, 613-992-4211.
fax 613-941-6900, Martin.P@parl.qc.ca
or House of Commons, Ottawa, ON
Block Maple Leaf takeover of Schneiders
"Stopping Maple Leaf Foods'
ptoposed acquisition of Schneiders
would be an important first step in
restraining growing corporate, power
over family farm hog producers,"
said NFU Youth President and
independent hog producer Dave
Lewington.
The NFU has written to the
Competition Bureau asking them to
investigate and block Maple Leaf's
acquisition of Schneiders. Lewington
and NFU staff have participated in
conference calls and meetings with
Competition Bureau officials to
discuss the Maple Leaf -Schneiders
deal.
The proposed Maple Leaf
acquisition would give that
corporation a very Targe chunk of
Ontario pork processing capacity.
And it would give Maple Leaf a
virtual monopoly on slaughter
capacity in Manitoba and
Saskatchewan. "With deals like this,
we are not even maintaining the
pretext of competition," said
Lewington.
Since 1988, two-thirds of
Canada's independent, family farm
hog producers have been pushed out
of production and the market has
become increasingly dominated by
corporate producers vertically -linked
to increasingly -powerful packers. In
the 1990s, many governments
unilaterally dismantled farmers'
single -desk hog marketing systems,
making it more difficult for smaller,
independent producers to receive the
same market price as larger
operations that are aligned with
packers.
The NFU continues to work with
farmers and with the Competition
Bureau to block the Maple
Leaf acquisition and to maintain
what is left of competition in
the Canadian hog processing
sector.0
K I A 0A6 (no stamp needed).
Call or write the Minister of
Agriculture and Agri -Food, Hon. Bob
Speller, 613-996-4974, fax (613)
759-1081, spellerb@agr.gc.ca. or
House of Commons, Ottawa K I A
0A6 (no stamp needed).
Call or write the Ontario Minister
of Agriculture and Food. Hon. Steve
Peters. 416-326-3074. fax 613-326-
3083 or 77 Grenville St.. 11th Floor.
Toronto M5S 1B3.
Call or write your M.P. Contact
information available at
www.canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_
e.html
Call or write your MPP.
Call the NFU to show your
support for more active leadership on
issues of importance to family
farms.0
COM/NG EVENTS
Grey Local Regular
Meeting
April 8 — 8:00 p.m.
Grey Gables, Markdale.
CaII Bev Schenk
519-799-5584
Perth/Oxford Local
Meeting
April 8 — 7:30 p.m.
Bruce Hunter's, Mitchell
Call 393-6649 for more
information
For information on local meetings contact the following:
Bruce Local - Mathilda Andres 519-368-5675 Grey Local - Bev Schenk 519-799-5584
Huron Local - Stephen Miller 519-236-4958 Perth Oxford Local - Ann Slater 519-349-2448
APRIL 2004 5