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Home My WebLink AboutAgriculture 2002, 2002-03-13, Page 9Changing for the better The dairy farm in Ontario has become a modern hi-tech operation able to compete on the world market. Area dairy farmers recently discussed new programs and equipment to further ensure high quality and improve consumer confi- dence. (David Blaney photo) • • • `N‘ 1 We carry a wide selection of new, used and also "Take Off" tires for • 1 light trucks & farm use •/ MGM Townsend Tire *+/ Londesboro 523-4742 ••• ••••‘••••••••••••.•1‘ ,,#/e/e/e/e///e/e• s. /‘/‘/‘•‘/‘/"/‘/`/‘/‘/\•"•‘ese‘/\/‘/*‘/V • • • • • • • • • • •‘ '/ • • • • • • • • complete line of tires. Stop in and ask about our THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002. PAGE A-9. Agriculture 2002 HACCP designed to increase quality control By David Blaney Citizen staff Participants at the 2002 annual meeting of the Huron Dairy Producers Committee spent consid- erable time discussing the new Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) program designed to increase quality control in the Canadian dairy industry. The pro- gram is intended to roll out in one year and be completely established in approximately three years' time. George MacNaughton, the man- ager of farm policies and programs for the Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) was on hand to explain the program to the farmers in atten- dance. He started his presentation with information, which appeared to surprise some of those in attendance. MacNaughton provided the results of the Barrier Study. This is a survey, which has been conducted yearly since 1992 to discover Canadian consumer's attitudes to the safety of milk products. In 2000 the survey of 1,800 people across Canada revealed attitudes about milk products which those in attendance clearly found disturbing. Thirty per cent of survey respon- dents agreed with the statement that milk may be contaminated and 24 Continued from A-8 Observations in the shop have convinced him, "The guys are under a lot of pressure." Groups in western Canada have blamed the breakdown of farm fam-_ ilies on the new realities of farming. While the evidence cited for this is usually empirical, what can be proved statistically is the aging of the farm community. Rick Steele a planner for the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority says that the average age of farmers in Huron County is in the 50s and has been rising. Young people are leaving the farm for other careers. Many who remain, ease the financial strain of establish- per cent agreed that milk contained a lot of bacteria. MacNaughton agreed with several of the participants who stated that it was obvious dairy farmers should be doing more to educate their con- sumers. He later emphasized the"dif- ference between fact and belief by pointing out that the fear of contam- ination is nearly 3,000 times greater than the actual amount of contami- nation. The new program is intended to both increase the high standards in the Canadian dairy industry, and allay consumer's fears about milk products. All raw production sectors have in place or are developing sim- ilar programs. The dairy industry HACCP pro- gram is based on four elements. The first is mandatory livestock . medi- cines certification. This is intended to provide farmers with the proper training to control biological residues in cattle. The second element is the use of time/temperature recorders. These will provide a constant and accurate record of the temperature in the bulk storage tanks and also the times and temperatures of the wash water used to sanitize tanks and lines. The use of standard operating pro- cedures as the third element sounded redundent to some participants as ing a farm operation by entering into partnerships with relatives. Huron County's official plan is very definite about the importance of agriculture in the life of the coun- ty. It states,'"The continued health of agriculture is important not only from an agricultural perspective, but also from a broader community and economic perspective." Tousaw says he doesn't know the future of intensive farming opera- tions in Huron - "All we can do is continue to monitor and see." What he can and does say with a great deal of certainty is, "The challenge is how we foster sustainable develop- ment." MacNaughton admitted everyone has them or they couldn't operate, However, most operators don't have written procedures and this can cause problems when using relief milkers or training staff. Written pro- cedures will also provide assurance that standard operating procedures are up to par for the industry and allow the Dairy Farmers of Ontario to conduct reviews to assure con- sumers that there are no issues in this area. The final element .in the program will be water testing. It is essential that the water used in the milk house is potable if sanitation procedures are to succeed. Several of those at the meeting had questions about the cost of imple- menting the program. With time/temperature recorders priced between $750 and $3000 prior to installation costs, dairy farmers are faced with capital outlays that will not provide economic returns. Significant changes in water testing regimes would result in further oper- ating costs with no direct revenue increases. Sharon Weitzel, the Huron County board member to Dairy Farmers of Ontario, outlined several measures that were being pursued by the organization. They hoped to reduce the capital cost of the recorders by bulk purchases of the instruments. The possibility of a rebate program and financing through the DFO are also being studied. MacNaughton commented that the board (of DFO) would be looking at across-the-board increases when the program is in place. Referring back to the Barrier Study, MacNaughton said, "The question is' not whether the dairy industry can afford to adopt HACCP but whether the industry can afford not to adopt this type of quality assurance program." He went on to say, "If we don't (adopt the program) it will be mandated." He pointed out the case of Australia where similar quality assurance programs are mandated. In that country dairy farmers have two, three-inch thick binders, which they are required to follow as part of a mandatory quality assurance pro- gram. Janet Boot, chairman of the Huron Dairy Producers Committee said in her address to the members, "The future, with more quality assurance work, will also change our farming practices." She went on to provide some facts, which she said, could he used proudly to describe the current state of the Huron dairy industry. In 2001 Huron dairy farmers shipped 120 million litres of milk worth $68 million. The county's dairy farms provide employment for 413 families And support the employment of about 1,450 workers. - She ended by saying that Canadians could take pride in the fact that they have a safe, secure and nutritious supply of dairy products grown at home. Realities cause breakdown COOK'S -. Everything you need for Spring PREMIUMS AVAILABLE NK SEED CORN CALL US ABOUT PREMIUMS ON N2555Bt 2700 H.11. SOYBEANS AND WHEAT N27-M3 2775 H.I J. FOR FALL DELIVERY AND ON N8030Bt 2850 H.U. FARM STORAGE. 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