HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-07-17, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 17,1991.
Farm Prices up at Brussels sale
We've been deluged with reports in the media recently about the safety
of food. Stories have been abounded about the number of additives and
consumers’ concerns about the pesticide residues causing illnesses and
maybe even cancer.
One particularly sensational report a couple of years ago about the
hormonal spray alar, used mostly on apples to enhance colouring and
prevent premature dropping, claimed it caused cancer. The public
panicked, quit eating apples and giving their children apple juice, and
apple sales plunged. Many fruit farmers, especially those who grow the
McIntosh variety, were forced to dump perfectly good apples in the
compost heap, causing them severe economic hardship The whole sad
affair blemished apple's pristine image as a wholesome food in the
public's mind (we were all told as kids that an apple a day keeps the
doctor away).
The whole alar affair is turning out to be a huge hoax contrived by a
man on a terrorist mission. He was, incredibly, able to gel the original
story on CBS's 60 Minutes, without allowing the network enough time to
check it out. Like sheep, the rest of the media picked up the story, again
unchecked, and within a week, the apple farmers were dead meat.
Growers recently launched a lawsuit, and rightly so, against CBS and the
man, and the whole story will now be played out in agonizing slow
motion in courts, but too late for farmers and consumers, who have
slopped eating a perfectly good food.
All of this leaves you and I — the consumers— very confused. What,
we ask, is safe food? And how do we know if it is is and where can we
buy it? Although pollster Angus Reid found that 70 per cent of Canadians
believe that farmers today use loo much chemicals. But study done for
Agricultural Groups Concerned About Resources and the Environment
(AgCare) compared scientific and public perceptions of risk in eating
foods using chemicals, found them diametrically opposite. To scientists
and those in the food handling and processing industries, microbiological
contaminants are the greatest hazard in food safety, while the public was
least worried about them. Food additives and pesticide residues are
viewed as being the most harmful by the public, but are ranked least
hazardous by scientific studies.
Bui just because their is a huge credibility gap between the opinions of
scientists and the general population, should those in the food business
drop their guards on sanitary food handling? Not on your life, as anyone
who has ever had food poisoning from eating a too-warm salad at a picnic
will tell you.
Even though Health and Welfare Canada has shown through regular
testing that there are no antibiotic residues in meat, consumers say that
farmers should be stopped from including low doses of antibiotics in
chicken feed.
In Canada and Ontario, there is a very rigid and sophisticated inspection
system that ensures the high quality of food all the way from the farm gate
to the grocery shelf, with very strict rules enforced by a number of
government departments at the federal and provincial levels. Our milk
inspection system, for instance, which randomly checks every dairy
farmer regularly for bacterial contamination, dilution, and drug residues,
is so good that people travel from all over the world to see how it works.
A lour through the Milk Testing Lab in Guelph is an enlightening
experience.
The provincial government is presently constructing another state-of-
the-art lab in Guelph that will test food for hundreds of additives and
residues, (although knowing how many parts per trillion may further
confuse us.).
All plants and animals have naturally occurring "pesticides" to ward off
attacks by insects and other animals. For instance, rhubarb leaves and
broccoli have natural poisons to ward off pests. Have you ever tried to
grow a garden beneath a black walnut tree? And we all know how a rattle
snake or a skunk protect themselves.
The biggest concern by far, must remain microbiological food
contamination and those in the food system will have to try and assure
the public they are getting the safest and most nutritious food al the lowest
price anywhere in the world. That's why it's important that we keep our
agricultural industry alive in Canada as the safest food will be that which
your neighbour grows.
NOTICE
In order to provide better service to pork
producers in the area, the pig sale at Brussels
Livestock will be held every Friday morning at
10:30, at least for the summer months.
It was felt that the earlier sale time would suit
both buyers and sellers, as the pigs would not be
moved in the heat of the day, and not be as long
without feed or water. As well, both buyers and
sellers, would be back home earlier in the day, a
benefit especially in seeding and harvest.
For further information, contact
BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK at 887-6461,
or WALLACE BALLAGH, at 392-6170
Sales at Brussels Livestock for
the week ending July 12, were:
slaughter cattle, 691; cows, 213;
veal calves, 172; lambs and goats,
123; pigs, 25.
There were 434 steers on offer
selling from $85 to $91.90. Five
steers consigned by Frank Nigh of
Seaforth averaging 1264 lbs. sold
for $91.99 to the high of $95.25.
Five steers consigned by Cliff
Campbell, Stratford averaging 1078
lbs. sold for $91.98 to the high of
$92.25. Forty-four steers consigned
by W. B. Pletch Co. Ltd. averaging
1163 lbs. sold for $90.79 to the
high of $92.40.
Twenty-two steers consigned by
Cunningham Farms, Lucan averag
ing 1333 lbs. sold for $88.66 to the
high of $96.50. Fifteen steers con
signed by Ken Blackler, St. Marys
averaging 1286 lbs. sold for $88.35
to the high of $95. Fifteen steers
consigned by Frank Irvine, Orton
averaged 1302 lbs. and sold for
$88.17 to the high of $89. Eighteen
steers consigned by George Blake,
Brussels averaged 1291 lbs. and
sold for $87.11 to the high of $91.
Twelve steers consigned by Glen
Johnston, Bluevale averaging 1314
lbs. sold for $86.21 to the high of
$90.75. Twenty-four steers con
signed by Gerald Gcisel, Elmira
averaging 1404 lbs. sold for $84.12
to the high of $89.50. Seventeen
steers consigned by Bill Hargraves,
Proton Station averaging 1191 lbs.
sold for $84.08 to the high of
$86.60.
There were 237 heifers on offer
selling from $79.25 to $86.10 to
the high of $94.75. Eight heifers
consigned by Frank Nigh, Seaforth
averaged 1106 lbs. and sold for
$91.97 to the high of $94.75. Six
heifers consigned by Jim Nichols,
Mitchell averaging 1232 lbs. sold
for $86.88 to the high of $88.00.
Ten heifers consigned by Albert
Weemink, Kirkton averaged 1043
lbs. and sold and sold for $85.88 to
the high of $92.
There were 213 cows on offer
selling from $52 to $63.25 to the
high of $68.25. One cow consigned
by Wes Bender, Palmerston weigh
ing 1070 lbs. sold for $64.50. One
cow consigned by Vernon Hodgins,
Kincardine weighing 1460 lbs. sold
for $64.25. One cow consigned by
Percy Bros., Holyrood, weighed
1450 lbs. and sold for $64.
One cow consigned by Bob
Blackwell Jr., Ripley weighed 1340
lbs. and sold for $63.50. One cow
consigned by Murray Thompson,
Listowel weighed 830 lbs. and sold
for $63.50. One cow consigned by
Leslie Campbell, Seaforth weigh
ing 1360 lbs. sold for $63.
Four cows consigned by Ron
Duff, Alma, averaged 1440 lbs. and
sold for $63 to the high of $65.75.
Two cows consigned by Jim Rap-
son, Walton averaging 1015 lbs.
sold for $63 to the high of $64.25.
Four cows consigned by Ken
Mitchell, Annon averaging 1320
lbs. sold for $62.53 to the high of
$63.75. Six cows consigned by Joe
Karpinski, St. Paul's, averaged
1225 lbs. and sold for $58.56 to the
high of $68.25.
There were 172 veal on offer
selling from $87 to $100 to the
high of $113. Two veal consigned
by Chuck Durrer, Mildmay, aver
aged 665 lbs. and sold for $109.93
to the high of $113. Two veal con
signed by Wayne Gingerich, Zurich
averaging 510 lbs. sold for $102.50
to the high of $110.
Four veal consigned by Carol
Daniels, Bluevale averaging 618
lbs. sold for $100.16 to the high of
$105. Two veal consigned by
Wayne Dumin, Auburn averaging
680 lbs. sold for $99.68 to the high
of $102.
There were 123 lambs and goats
on offer. Lambs sold from $70 to
$90. Goats sold from $65 to $ 120.
Stocker trade went steady.
JS?. 'fan*- Siwiec
• GATES •FEEDERS -ETC.
GATES 5% OFF UNTIL JUNE 29
AT BRUSSELS STOCKYARDS
Open: Thursday to Saturday and every other Tuesday,
starting June 4
| $2.00 discount on long distance phone orders |
669-4472 VIC ZIESKE (MOBILE) 748-7674