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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-02-03, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1993. arm Beef producers won't support stable funding without vote Huron County Beef Producers will not support stable funding for general farm organizations unless it is supported by a vote of all Ontario farmers. At their annual meeting in Clin- ton Wednesday, the beef producers approved a resolution asking the Ontario Cattlemen's Association to lobby against stable funding unless a vote is held. The count was 41-12 with a large number in the audience not taking sides. A second resolu- tion asking OCA to support stable funding after it is implemented if it has been supported by farmers in a vote was also passed. Stable fund- ing is a plan to fund such general farm organizations as the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the National Farmers Union and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario by a $150 annual fee which all farmers would have to pay in order to qualify for government programs. The bill setting up the program was derailed when the leg- islature adjourned. Several beef producers protested against stable funding saying peo- ple shouldn't be forced to join an organization they didn't want and hadn't had a chance to vote on. But George Underwood, a Wing- ham-area producers argued that people hadn't had a chance to vote on the Free Trade Agreement either. He related sitting at a recent conference beside a food processor whose attitude was "what's 60- 100,000 farmers if I can get crops to process cheaper from outside the country". "We need a strong voice," he said, urging support for general farm organizations. Spe- cialty groups like the OCA just can't do the job, he said. If the $150 fee was the problem he suggested a new category should be created in the stable funding legislation that would let farmers who didn't want their $150 to go to any of the farm organizations to go to world food aid. Beef producers approve stock- yard restructuring In the most heated discussion of the meeting, Huron County Beef Producers Wednesday supported a plan to renovate the Ontario Stock Yards (OSY). The Ontario Cattlemen's Associa- tion had asked county organizations to look at the plan that would reno- vate the OSY and greatly reduce the amount of space it takes up in its north Toronto location. In a background paper the OCA said the OSY lost an average $7500 a week in 1992 and the Ontario government also pays the land tax of $300,000 a year. The OSY has been hit hard by the general decline of the Ontario beef industry since 1981 with num- bers of cattle sold through the mar- ket greatly reduced. At the same time markets like the Brussels Livestock have increased their share of the marketing of finished cattle. Sales at the OSY dropped from 107,862 in 1989 to 57,963 in 1991. Earl McSpadden and Jack Flana- gan supported a resolution to sup- port the restructuring of the OSY. "The plan is financially sound so the taxpayer won't have to support it (the re-organized OSY)" said Mr. Flanagan. Mr. McSpadden said the OSY had set standards for ethical behaviour by a stockyard. He also pointed out it is used by producers of horses, veal, and sheep. Jack Riddell, former Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food and presently chairman of the OSY board of directors, crossed swords with several opponents of the plan in the audience. Ken Alton of Luc- know protested the stockyards should be moved outside the city where it would be easier to get to by farmers taking their cattle to market and wouldn't be among all the urban development. But Mr. Riddell argued the mandate given to his board by Elmer Buchanan, current Minister of Agriculture and Food, was to keep the stock yards in the same location. Besides the $2.5 million price tag to renovate the current facility wouldn't come near the cost of building an entirely new facility. He said that when OSY is reduced in area from 35 acres to 15 acres a major business is interested in leasing the unused 20 acres and the money from the lease should make the OSY self-sufficient for the foreseeable future. But the OCA backgrounder sug- gested that the Beef Marketing Task Force in 1988 had said if the stock yards were ever phased out the money from the land should be used for the benefit of the producer groups who paid for the facility. Mr. Riddell said there is some disagreement on who actually owns the land but any money the govern- ment saved would not likely go to other agricultural programs but "disappear into that black hole they call general revenue". Len Gamble of Brussels Live- stock said he didn't care if the OSY was renovated, but he didn't feel any tax money should be used. Pointing to the government paying the municipal tax bill for the OSY he noted that he had to pay his own taxes. He also suggested that when Mr. Riddell was ag minister he had pushed the OSY to move outside the city. Mr. Riddell said that was entirely wrong. "Our government never recommended the stock yards close. The task force he commis- sioned in 1988 recommended that the OSY become self-sufficient by 1992, he said. To cool flaring tempers a vote was called and the meeting voted to support the renovation and restruc- turing of the OSY. HEART team formed for farmers Purchasing a vehicle is a big decision! Let us help you make the right one! 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TEN PAS CONSTRUCTION LTD. FOR FINE BUILDING RESIDENTIAL - COMMERCIAL . WINDOW & DOOR SALES & INSTALLATION (519) 887- 6408 BUS. Box 81 (519) 887-6486 RES. Brussels, Ont. NOG 1H0 What began with the concern of one member of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture became an all-out assault on the crisis caused by the crop failure of 1992 when the Huron Emergency Assis- tance Team (HEART) was formed. John Van Beers, R.R.1, Blyth, took his concerns to the November meeting of the Federation, worried about the effect on farm families of the dreadful 1992 cropping condi- tions and a special committee was formed. Mr. Van Beers then started recruiting people from the Federa- tion, the farming community, .busi- Continued on page 11 Pending approval by Huron County Council at its Feb. 4 meet- ing, special funds will be available through the Huron County Social Services Department to assist the hardest hit farm families with the basics of life. Bonnie Johnson or Rural Con- nections and a member of the Huron Emergency Assistance Response Team (HEART) said the money available through the Enhanced Counselling and Emer- gency Assistance program of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. HEART members, she said, were concerned about situations where farm families might not be able to get the basics of life, from food for the table to fuel for the fur- nace. Farmers and other self- employed people aren't eligible for welfare. HEART made an applica- tion for the OMAF program and the grant was approved. The money is given to the Huron County Federa- tion of Agriculture which in turn Animal rights activists aren't above using misinformation to pro- mote their cause but farmers and people working with animals must make sure they don't give them ammunition by misusing animals, a speaker told the annual meeting of the Huron County Beef Producers Association in Clinton on Wednes- da Jim McGee Jim McGee, an Oxford County cow-calf operator, past president of the Ontario Cattlemen's Associa- tion and vice-president of the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) said there must be changes in areas such as the transportation of downed animals and suggested there may be a licencing of people allowed to transport such animals to make sure people doing it use humane methods. He urged farmers not to ship cattle that are broken down or in visibly bad shape. In addition, OFAC had set up a helpline that people could call to report possible cases of animal abuse. OFAC will call in the com- modity group in question and then send out a volunteer to inspect the case and talk to the producer. If necessary the volunteer will then call in the Humane Society. "We have to be willing to get rid of the bad operators," he said. He said he has no problem with the Humane Society but that some branches have been"infiltrated" by animal rights extremists. In one case, he said, a volunteer wouldn't allow a man to adopt a beagle puppy because he said he would use it for rabbit hunting when it grew up. The Humane Society vol- unteer would rather see the puppy destroyed than used for hunting, he will have the Huron County Social Services department administer the program (if, as expected, county council approves on Thursday). Families in difficulty can apply directly to the Social Services department for assistance. A field worker can come to their home, they can meet at the 'ocial Services office, or can meet in a neutral site to discuss the problems. The pro- gram provides up to $1000 a month to meet the necessities of life. The grant is only for $20,000 but Ms Johnson said if there is more demand for the assistance than there is money, OMAF has sug- gested more money might be avail- able. Need will be assessed on a case by case, farm by farm basis. Unfortunately, however, the pro- gram runs out with the government year end on March 31 and there is no guarantee it will be continued. Bill Wallace, president of the Huron County Federation of Agri- culture said, saying he was frustrat- ed that the actual money from the said. He warned farmers that the ani- mal rights groups are going to con- centrate on animal agriculture in the 1990's. While they appear to have backed off a bit in their more extreme statements saying only that meat production must be as humane as possible, "They are still urging people not to use animals as expendable egg, meat and milk machines." They are also using misleading information, he said, showing a video from U.S. stockyards that showed workers using cattle. prods to try to make downed pigs move. "They're saying truckers and farm- ers don't really care (if animals die). It's all just part of the cost of production." Animals rights activists have said 2.5 million animals die in transit every year in Canada, Mr. McGee said. On investigation it turned out the number is true, but misleading. two million of the 2.5 are broiler chickens. Even then, there's no mention of the fact that 476 million broilers made it safely to the pro- cessing plant. Transportation mor- tality is .6 per cent in broilers. grant won't be available for six weeks, said until the money actual- ly becomes available HEART is determined to make sure people who need help get it. "We deter- mined that we would make sure that nobody went hungry. We will search out resources from church groups etc. to help people." Ms Johnson said farm families are very self-sufficient. She has had three families in asking for advice but they had decided they could get by on their own for the time being. Farm people are wonderful, she said. If they have some vegetables they figure they can get by. Emerg. fund helps farmers in serious financial trouble Don't give animal rights groups ammo, says speaker