The Rural Voice, 1994-10, Page 57PERTH Phi
County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER
Harry Bardoel, President
• The Rural Voice is provided to Perth
County Pork Producers by the PCPPA.
Time to eliminate the third party
The opinions expressed within this
article do not necessarily reflect the
views of the association.
GRADING CORRECTION
By the time you read this, we will
all probably be aware of the
"correction" of the grading
abnormalities of pigs processed at the
Fearmans Plant. One grader making
continually flagrant errors has been
removed. For a problem that has
persisted for close to two years, it is
comforting to have the issue
supposedly bchind us.
However, it is most frustrating
that: (1), it took so long to find the
source of the problem and (2) that the
problem could even develop to begin
with. Ag Canada's credibility as a
fair, accurate and trusted third party
to provide accurate grading is now in
question. Compensation from
Fearmans through the OPPMB is said
to be forthcoming in the future to
those severely affected.
I do not envy those with the job of
attempting to determine who is to be
compensated and to what level. It's
time for the OPPMB and processors
to both trust and be accountable to
one another by working together to
determine hog grades without an
independent third party. The fewer
parties involved, the less chance for
errors to slip through the system.
One less party at the table also should
help minimize the cost to evaluate
pigs.
THREE SITE PRODUCTION
SYSTEMS
The whole industry is "buzzing"
with the concept of three site
production systems. Farm
productivity is poised to improve,
contracts are being offered, and new
barns are being constructed — all as
the price of pigs falls through the
floor (all those pursuing new
opportunities may want to kick each
other in the behind for not getting at
this last year instead of this year).
As we rush to keep up with
Quebec, Western Canada, and the
United States on this production
"system" we need to keep one very
important factor in mind: not the
pigs, the barns, the feed, and/or the
processing plants will be able to
insure successful programs; only the
people involved will. I have had the
good fortune to travel to Quebec,
Manitoba, and the southern United
Executive 1994
President — Harry Bardoel
Vice President — John Van Nes
Second Vice President — Larry Skinner
Secretary — Richard Yantzi
Treasurer — Karen Martens
Past President — John Crowley
States to see thrcc-sitc systems first
hand. The underlying success or
failure at each location stemmed from
the integrity of the people involved.
It seems inevitable that our industry,
as we have known it, is going to
change. Let's hope we can change it
for the better.
FEDERAL TASK FORCE
On November 17 in London, a
Federal Task Force on Agricultural
Policy Development is accepting
presentations on various issues from
assorted agricultural industries. If
you have an issue that should be
voiced for the betterment of the
Ontario Pork Industry, contact
Russell Dambrook (356-2385) of the
Perth County Pork Producers
Political Action Committcc.0
submitted by Mark Yunghlut
Pork Products
available from:
Fred DeMartines
at
393-6812
• Martin VanBakel
at
345-2666
Dennis Zehr
at
595-4771
OCTOBER 1994 53
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