The Rural Voice, 2004-11, Page 39Imk
News
Agriculture
holds answers
Continued from page 34
estimated would cost $5 per weaner,
$8 per feeder and $13 per market
hog.
He promised OFA would keep up
the good fight along with Ontario
Pork to try to get relief from these
duties.
Bright spots include the
expansion of processing so more
meat can be processed in Canada, he
said. "Consumers are still on side
and consuming at near -record
levels."
OFA had met with Premier
Dalton McGuinty at the IPM at
Meaford and tried to get the message
across to him that agriculture
provides the solutions to many of the
problems troubling Ontario.
Production of biodiesel and ethanol
from renewable farm crops can help
reduce pollution. Wind energy, with
most windmills set up on farmers'
land, has huge potential to help solve
Ontario's electrical needs. To reduce
landfill needs, "we can produce
biodegradable plastic from corn that
will break down in 30 days."
But for farmers to help with these
solutions they must have strong
support from government, Mistele
said. "Quebec's attitude toward
agriculture is completely different
than Ontario's."
In presenting her volunteer of the
year award, OFA Member Services
Representative Gertie Blake first
praised the work of "the group of
five" who used publicity about a
miniscule cheque received for selling
cattle to gain regional, provincial and
national attention for the fact the
BSE crisis has not subsided. Jacquie
Hendry, Wayne Caughill, Paul
Wettlaufer, Bob Brassington and
Ray Hunking from nearby Dufferin
County got in touch with local media
and the story spread.
Wettlaufer received the volunteer
award for this work and for his
efforts to keep the Normandby
Township Federation of Agriculture
going and for serving as OFA
regional director and sitting on the
science and technology committee at
the provincial level.0
AgriTech
Gather input from across the spectrum
Janice
Becker is a
computer
enthusiast
and
journalist
living near
Walton, ON.
In the six years of this column, I
have received e-mails responding to
my writings, occasionally saying they
had difficulty finding the site or
offering me feedback. Sometimes that
feedback requires a public response.
With regards to my October
column on searching for websites that
deal with agricultural technology, an
e-mail writer cited his surprise at my
attention to "corporate and lobbyist
sites". And though not a defense, this
column often touches only briefly on
a number of sites which surface
through a random search. My intent is
to get people looking at the
information available and making
their own decisions.
So in reply to the email I received,
I thought I'd give some time to the
site he mentions as it promotes a
differing view of biotechnology.
The Ram's Horn, www.ramshorn.ca,
is a monthly publication out of
Sorrento, B.C., covering food system
analysis topics. The publication is
headed by Brewster Kneen who,
though American -born, has lived in
Canada since 1965.
Well-acquainted with Canadian
agriculture, Kneen and his family ran
a cow/calf then a sheep operation in
Nova Scotia before moving to
Toronto in 1986. He then began
lecturing on food systems, with a
specialty in biotechnology and a
research focus on "technological
determinism".
By the mid-1990s, Kneen had
been named a Senior Fellow in the
Faculty of Environmental Studies at
York University. He now resides in
B.C. His wife, Cathleen, is also very
active in the creation of the
publication as well as the BC Organic
Grower.
In the most recent issue of The
Ram's Horn on the web, the lead
story talks about Canada's food
safety policy or the lack of such.
They question the difference between
"food safety" and "healthy food",
illustrating the difference well with a
Halloween analogy. This article fits
with the publication's focus to
"analyze the activities and strategies
of transnational agribusinesses and
governments".
The Ram's Horn's mandate deals
with food security, biotechnology and
genetic engineering, agriculture and
farmers, international trade, corporate
ownership, organic standards and
pesticides, government regulations
and consumer rights.
The website itself only provides a
glimpse at the content of the printed
version. The 8 -page report is
available through subscription at $25
for 10 issues annually.
To locate other sites with varying
opinions on biotechnology and
agriculture, try entering
biotechnology and organic in your
search engine. Just two that I found
were from organic consumers groups
at www.cog.ca/biotechstateng.htm and
www.organicconsumers.org/gelink.html
We all learn as we go through life
that there are always a variety of
opinions on any issue and we should
listen to all sides before making our
own decisions.
If you are interested in the
ramifications of biotechnology on
agriculture, do look at corporate sites
that promote the industry, being
aware of the economic reasoning
behind their agenda. But also check
out the other side whether that
opinion comes from
environmentalists, scientists,
researchers or organic farmers. They
all have valid points that should be
considered.
It is always wisest to be well
informed before forming an opinion.
Don't stop seeking knowledge with
just the few websites mentioned here.
Continue the search to find ideas and
thoughts that make sense to you.
Contact me at jlbecker@wightman.ca
or through The Rural Voice office.
with topic suggestions or feedback 0
NOVEMBER 2004 35