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CALL THE CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY'S TOLL FREE SMOKERS' HELPLINE 1-877-513-5333 D & J CONSTRUCTION Jim McDonald 887-9607 • General Carpentry • Roofing • New Buildings & Renovations GLEE'S SERVICE CENTRE 348 Dinsley St., Blyth, Ontario Repairs to all makes & models of cars & trucks Air Conditioning • Car Oiling • Snow Removal Mon. - Fri. 8 am - 5:30 pm; Sat. 8 am - 12 noon —AMU '1111 oirts, CHRIS LEE: Phone: Bus. 519-523-9151 Res. 519-523-4343 THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2006. PAGE 17. Westerner praises Brussels packing plant plan By Keith Roulson Citizen publisher Alberta cattleman Rick Pascal praised the efforts of western Ontario cattlemen top build a farmer-owned packing plant in Brussels, when he spoke to 25 farmers at Brussels Livestock, Wednesday, July 19. Pascal, who has led a North American Free Trade Agreement law suit against the U.S. government over the border closure over BSE, said competition is needed in beef By Keith Roulson Citizen publisher Cattlemen for Free Trade, the group behind the court challenge to the U.S. ban against Canadian cattle is approaching a hearing under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Rick Pascal, the Alberta cattleman who had spearheaded the challenge, said the group deliberately took its time in order to get the right panelists on the NAFTA panel. The group also didn't want to start the process until the Conservative government was elected, he said. Pascal, updating about 25 . people at a meeting at Brussels Livestock, July 19, also showed a 20-minute video that had been prepared for the NAFTA panel. In it, cattlemen talked about the damage done by the border closure, including losses ranging from one third to two thirds of their equity. processing. "You can have all the capacity (you want) but if you don't have competition you don't have a healthy market," he said. "We deal with it all the time in the West," he said of the limited number of packers. That's why he and many western producers were vehemently opposed to the purchased of Better Beef packers in Ontario by multi- national giant Cargill. One processor with 60 per cent of the country's packing business is not healthy, he Looking ahead, Pascal said it was essential that Canada harmonize its BSE testing with the U.S. "We take every old crock we can find to test," he said. The trickle of new BSE cases is fueling the U.S. lobby group R-Calf which has been calling for the border to be closed to Canadian cattle and beef. "They'll be in a courtroom this summer or fall to argue the border must be closed," Pascal said. Pascal argued for harmonization of other regulations with the U.S. For instance, he said, getting a new drug approved in the U.S. takes 150 days. In Europe it takes 210 days. In Canada it takes 1,000 to 1,200 days. If 10 per cent of the meat eaten in eastern Canada comes from American cattle that are treated with drugs that aren't available in Canada, it's ridiculous Canadian farmers can't use them, he said. "Pharmaceutical policies in this country are a disaster," he said, said. The crackdown on illegal immigration into the U.S. could benefit Canadian packers, he said, because 40 per cent of the workforce in the U.S. packing industry is made up of illegal immigrants. "With tough immigration controls their labour costs are going to go way up," he predicted. He advised those involved in planning the Brussels plant that "either you have to be low cost or be unique," and since it's hard to compete with the major packers on suggesting American cattle producers have a $20-$30 per head advantage over their Canadian counterparts. The Canadian dollar is tied to the value of oil which is hurting Alberta beef producers because with the labour shortage they're having to offer $15-$28 an hour to get people to work in feed lots. With the increasing value of the Canadian dollar, Canadian cattle producers lost their "subsidy", Pascal said. Meanwhile the U.S. Farm Bill remains in effect and "it's unrealistic to think we can compete with the subsidies they're getting." The other advantage American producers are getting is from the booming ethanol industry there, Pascal said. While Canada is barely getting started in ethanol production, there's enough distiller's grain being produced by ethanol plants in the U.S. to feed 20 million head of cattle. cost, finding the niche is important. "You can do things to get more value from your product," he said. Joe Seili, mayor of Huron East, updated those present on the packing plant proposal. A marketing firm called Elevator Five has been hired to test market products, packaging and labels to gauge consumer response. • "We're looking at various markets we can move into," he said. Organizers are also looking at products that have little value in Canada that are sought after internationally. The company is currently setting up its article of incorporation and has been working With CanAdvance Program on a funding proposal. "They're surprised we want to make sure of the market for the product before we start," Seili said. The Brussels group is also exploring partnerships to process for groups producing cornfed beef, veal, lamb and other meats. Seili discusse4 the plans with Pascal at a barbecue prior to the meeting, Wednesday. NAFTA challenge progressing Cool treat Sandra Clarke and her pal Miya stop on a muggy summer day for ice-cream. Miya's favourite is Rolo. (Photo submitted) Business Directory