The Rural Voice, 2004-10, Page 45News in Agriculture
Ontario sheep numbers down slightly
While the western Canadian sheep
flock has dropped by six per cent
from this time last year, Ontario has
fallen by half that much, according to
the Ontario Sheep Marketing
Agency.
July 1 inventories indicate that
Ontario's breeding ewe flock has
dropped by three over this time last
year, now clocking in at just over
179,000 head.
Cathy Lennon, General Manager
of the Ontario Sheep Marketing
Agency (OSMA) says that the drop
in breeding ewe inventories is
relatively insignificant for Ontario,
however the replacement crop
numbers are of some interest.
Producers have indicated that they
have been taking opportunities this
year to cull the ewe flock harder than
usual because of the tremendous
pressure in the market place and
keeping back more replacement
lambs, but the statistics report does
not indicate that is truly what's
happening. Replacement Iambs
according to the July 1st report are
down in Ontario by close to 13%
from this time last year.
With stalled exports to the US,
and more Iambs flowing into Ontario
from neighbouring provinces, the
total provincial slaughter in Ontario
has increased by 11 per cent over this
time last year and by more than 70
per cent from 2000. Over 25,000
head were processed in Ontario in the
month of July, with less than two per
cent, (600 head) of that being done in
federally inspected plants.
OSMA is a producer -run
organization representing 4,200
sheep producers in the province of
Ontario. In addition to the marketing
and promotion of lamb and wool,
OSMA is responsible for research
coordination, advocacy and
education.0
Province tightens meat inspection rules
The provincial government is
strengthening Ontario's food safety
system through changes to
regulations under the Health
Promotion and Protection Act to
prevent uninspected meat from being
mixed inadvertently with inspected
meat and entering the retail
marketplace.
The changes, which took effect
September 1, will prohibit carcasses
of uninspected domestic animals
slaughtered on-farm from entering
any food premises, including butcher
shops.
Previously, livestock producers'
meat, from animals killed on-farm
for their own use, could be custom -
cut, wrapped, and frozen at a food
premise, providing it was identified
and stored separately from inspected
products.
As of Septefnber 1 this year,
livestock producers will continue to
have the following options available
to them:
• Bring their live animal to one of
195 provincially licensed abattoirs
for custom slaughter, dressing,
cutting, and wrapping. In that case,
both the animal and the carcass
receive inspection, and the meat can
be legally sold.
• An OMAF-appointed veterinarian
can conduct an ante mortem
inspection at the owner's expense
prior to on-farm slaughter. Then, the
carcass can be brought to a
provincially licensed plant for post-
mortem inspection, dressing. cutting,
and wrapping. In this case, the meat
cannot be sold and must be
consumed by the producer's
immediate family only.
• The meat can be dressed, cut. and
wrapped on-farm following on-farm
slaughter. In this case. the meat
cannot be sold and must be
consumed by the producer's
immediate family only.
These options are in line with the
requirements under the Meat
Inspection Act (Ontario) and
regulations to ensure that any animal
or carcass entering a plant has been
inspected.0
Feds need to fund plants, Pascal says
Continued from page 40
refused to pay.
Woods said there has never been a
NAFTA Chapter 11 case where the
country that lost refused to pay.
"NAFTA itself is on trial," he said.
"The whole of NAFTA would be
torn to shreds."
While Pascal puts great hopes in
the Chapter 11 suit, he said farmers
must also take other actions.
The Canadian cow -calf industry
must come on side to allow cattle
from all states to be imported, not
just the 39 states that are currently
declared free of the diseases blue
tongue and antiplasmosis and
allowed to ship stocker cattle to
Canada.
"That's where you people have to
go to work," he told the cattlemen, in
the job of pressuring our government
to open the borders. Until that there's
going to be tremendous pressure in
some northern states against opening
the border.
Farmers must also pressure the
government for better support
programs. He labeled the CAIS
program as "Chartered Accountants
Income Support" instead of Canadian
Agriculture Income Support.
And, he said, the Canadian
government needs to get directly
involved in building slaughter plants
because under the current
uncertainties, no entrepreneur is
going to want to put money up. Even
if the plants have to be moth -balled
in two years it would be cheap
insurance, he said.
More information can be found by
checking out the group's website at
www.ccft.info or by calling 403-331-
3175 or 403-634-6354.0
OCTOBER 2004 41