The Rural Voice, 1989-11, Page 38THE WRIGHT CASE
This spring, a Huron County farmer won his court case against a feed com-
pany. But winning hasn' t guaranteed that Jack and Shirley Wright won't lose
their farm. The judgement is being appealed, and the Wrights are struggling
to find the resources that will keep their fight going. Thanks to community
support, the help they need appears to be on its way —
Jack and Shirley
Wright:
still smilin'
1
Five months ago, Huron
County farmers Jack and
Shirley Wright felt they had
won a five-year battle that had left
Jack weak after a series of heart at-
tacks and had threatened their family
farm. On May 31 of this year, they
were awarded $186,566 plus interest
in their court case against New Life
Mills Limited.
Today, the barns sit empty (the
last of the cattle went about three
months ago), the fields are rented out,
and the bank wants its money. New
Life Mills is appealing the decision,
a process that could take two years or
more. And while the Wrights have no
intention of giving up after five years,
they can't say how they'll manage to
keep their 300 -acre farm.
"I'd be crazy to quit the appeal,"
Jack says. "We're determined to see it
through."
So the Wrights, who have had to
swallow their pride often enough as
their case was examined meticulously
by the court, have gone public with
their story, and last month farm man-
agement advisor Tony Morris, on their
behalf, requested moral and financial
support from the Huron County
Federation of Agriculture (HCFA).
Morris has been assisting the Wrights
in their case since the fall of 1986.
And the HCFA responded, setting
up a credit union trust fund to help the
Wrights cover the legal costs of an
appeal. The HCFA will also be taking
the issue to the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture's convention later this
month, and is contacting commodity
boards and other county federations.
"They need about $10,000 up front
for the appeal lawyer," says HCFA
president Chris Palmer, "We feel that
they're deserving and we're going to
undertake that."
"It's an important case," he adds,
"The feed companies are already
responding."
Basically, the Wrights' story is
this:
In the spring of 1984, Jack Wright
bought pelleted feed for his beef cattle
from New Life Mills in Hanover — a
corn -based ration with the feed addi-
tive monensin sodium (known by the
trade name Rumensin) added. Later
that year, the New Life salesman in-
troduced him to an pelleted feed based
on Western wheat screenings, called
1260 pellets. The cattle appeared to
do well, gaining 2.5 pounds a day.
In October of 1984, the feed colour
changed. But assured by the salesman
that the quality of the feed was fine,
Jack ordered 200 tonnes of the feed.
In December of 1984, the Wrights'
calves started to die, and their older
cattle lost weight and condition. Over
the next three months, 86 head died,
and many others suffered health prob-
lems symptomatic of enteritis and
pneumonia. After a long series of
complaints, veterinary calls, meetings,
36 THE RURAL VOICE