HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-03-22, Page 43Canada's food costs lowest in world
Market basket cost Percent of Average
City in U.S. dollars Weekly Income
Seoul, Korea
Mexico City, Mexico
Madrid, Spain
Tokyo, Japan
London, England
Washington, U.S.
Ottawa, Canada
$89.93
$38.45
$69.81
$145.49
$67.69
$59.12
$56.75
94.7 %
87.4 %
37.8 %
32.6 %
24.1 c1/0
14.6 `)/0
14.2
The information is from a survey carried out by the U.S. Foreign Agricultural
Service which reports on world food prices. The "market basket" is a sample of
the same 15 basic commodities priced at local supermarkets in each country's
capital. The costs are from a 1991 survey. They provide a useful basis for com-
paring world food costs.
Can. agriculture Who cares?
FARM
RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIAL
AUTO
Customized packaging under
one policy lets you protect just
what you need to
save money. nrTLAND
Division of Snedden Insurance Brokers Ltd..
BRUSSELS 887-6663
South Easthope Mutual Insurance
ALLEY
INSURANCE 1.4
- r
ri; •••‘•
How important is the dairy
industry to the prov.'s and
Canada's economies?
• Ontario's 8,300 family dairy farms last year produced 2.3
billion litres of milk worth $1.3 billion at the farm gate. Dairy
farming is Ontario's number one agricultural commodity.
• Canada's 26,000 dairy farms each year produce 1.3 billion
litres pf milk worth $3.5 billion to farmers. Canadian milk
quality is second to none.
• In Canada, dairy farmers under "supply-managed marketing
boards" support $9 billion in economic activity and 125,000
jobs.
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 1995. PAGE A23 .
++++++++++++++A GRICULTURE '95 •
I
Why do we need to be concerned
about agriculture in Canada?
Because agriculture means food,
and food is a necessity of life.
Unlike many consumer commodi-
ties, it's a day-to-day requirement.
A constant supply is a must.
Without a domestic agriculture
industry, food becomes a question
mark. If a country chooses to not
support its own food producers, it's
taking a chance — a very big chance
— that it may become dependent on
foreign sources of food. Indeed,
some argue that a secure food
supply is a matter of national
sovereignty.
Agriculture in Canada makes
sense. Canada is a good country for
producing food; the soil is rich and
the weather is generally favourable.
And food production has been good
for Canada. Just look at the
examples!
CURB
Continued from A22
at cottages or older farm homes
now equipped with appliances
which use more water than the sep-
tic system was designed to handle.
With young families bringing
clothes washers, dish washers and
other high usage appliances into
homes which may have previously
only had two older occupants, the
system is unable to handle flow,
says Water Quality Technician Ron
Strome.
Ms Leoffler offers tips which
will lengthen the life of rural septic
systems and prevent blowouts.
"A good maintenance practice is
to have the tank pumped every two
to three years, use new water-con-
serving toilets and don't use exces-
sive bleach or harsh chemicals that
kill the bacteria in the system nec-
essary for proper operation."
Several thousand dollars can be
saved by doing preventative main-
tenance rather than waiting until
solids get into the weeping bed and
it needs to be torn up to be
repaired, she says.
During its four years in exis-
tence, CURB has funded 223 septic
systems, 86 fencing projects, 62
milk house washwatcr disposal sys-
tems and 206 manure storage facili-
ties.
• Agri-food is a $59-billion sector.
Behind forestry, it is the second-
largest industry in the Canadian
economy.
• Directly and indirectly,
agriculture employs one in five
Canadians.
• Agricultural exports make up
more than 11 per cent of all
Canada's exports.
• Today, a single farm family
feeds 120 people, compared with
47 just 15 years ago.
• Only three per cent of all
Canadians live on farms. But
agricultural production has
become so efficient that they not
only feed themselves and the
other 97 per cent of Canadians,
but export half of what they grow
as well.
• We spend very little on food, less
and less all the time. Food
purchases accounted for an
average of 32 per cent of family
income in Canada 40 years ago.
Now, that figure is down to just
over 18 per cent. Compare that
:,,,..,•..
?..".. FEED
DAUPHIN
& SUPPLY
Chick Days '95 1` 0.4 \‘.
Chicks - Sexed or Mixed . ,----- -
Also , 4
Turkeys - Ducks - Gees: -‘44 4 ,
,uk,
ORDER BEFORE FOR PICKUP Ntk vA. ' i
April 15/95 Fri. May 5/95 4>
May 15/95 Fri. June 2/9, , ,...._.,-
4
,, / Your Dealer For
0
-
\
,,,, all
1
i Commodities
U
'i l * Soybean * Roasted Beans'
* Gluten * All Grains
,
A
, 44 -
cExclusive
c _) Huron County Dealer
L..../ ) Leprechaun
trr i,-4 Home of the r/fir
o'-,---- Green Twine
,
'--‘I
L 1,02-
-14/14f
'95 Compare our low Prices
sHui....:, SHUR-GAIN
Feeds
Health
Complete line of
and Animal
Products
... ,--,-----,--4
1
3 )ir3f---.
IV-- '''!-k , I v ,N
kir 440
xii-,..?)',4'
4. ''''‘ ,
J .; ‘A4
1
A
Buy 10 Units of
1
Supplies and
'.:TREE". NO TIME
ASK ABOUT
any
Dog
Your
receive
VALUE
of our
LIMIT
your
SHUR-GAIN
Home
OUR
Bird
ON
For
Foods
Seed, Pet
next purchase PET FOOD
PET FOOD
CARD
Foods,
of VALUE
or Pet
above
CARD .
DUNGANNON WALTON
519 529-7951 - 529-3183 519 887-6023
1 800 665-5675
with people in France, who are
still at the 32 per cent level, in
Brazil (47 per cent) or India
(64 per cent).
• Farmers are feeding more people
using the same or fewer
resources. The Ontario dairy
industry, for instance, has only
half the cows and farms it had 40
years ago, but produces one
million more litres of milk each
year! Proportionately smaller as
well is the land needed to grow
feed for the dairy cows...land
that typically is being turned
back into woodlots and native
streambank habitat.
• Canada's food supply is safer
than at any time in our history.
Of nearly 300,000 food samples
analyzed by Agriculture Canada
in 1990-91, less than one-half of
one per cent were below
standards. Indeed, the biggest
threat from food in Canada is
overeating!
— From a University
of Guelph Report