The Rural Voice, 1978-03, Page 16food. Exports of agricultural products
outrun imports by S800, million to billion
dollars every year. The contributed to our
trade balance has been an important factor
in the nation's economy. "We have seen
large imports of U.S." pork this year. Our
farmers are competitive with the American
farmer, but our pork is uncompetitive at
the wholesale level."
"Farmers should not have to, and they
will not, tolerate the pressure for more and
more efficiency in production if the
inefficiencies are elsewbere in the
system."
Mr. Munro also commented on the
upcoming food strategy conference and
expressed concern over indications of the
governments thinking. It seems that the
thrust of the food strategy is aimed at
higher efficiency, improved productivity,
and a lowering of the level of protection.
Then, if necessary stabilization plans in
order to give farmers a stable return and
consumers fair prices. A possible two -price
system is also in the thinking of the
minister of Consumer and Corporate
Affairs and even export, embargoes. He
pointed out that every country in the world
has higher tariff protection for its farmers
than Canada, and unilateral lowering of
protection would hurt the Canadian
farmer.
As an example of some non -tariff
barriers he cited the case of our wheat
sales to Japan. In order to bolster the
Japanese grain farmer, the government of
that country buys Canadian wheat at $2.97
a bushel, delivered, and sell it to the
millers for $6.53 per bushel. '1 he profit is
used to support the Japanese farmer. So
the Canadian wheat producer is unable to
compete in a free market.
As far as prptection for our agriculture is
concerned, Mr. Munro said that primary
agriculture has an average tariff of 2.05
percent. This compares with manufactured
food 7.96 percent, textile 17 percent.
clothing 21 percent, furniture 15 percent,
paper products six percent and so on.
He praised the government for the
leadership given in the international
trading community on a grains agreement.
He reiterated his conviction that the
family farm is the only way farming in this
country will survive, but had some
criticism too. He urged more consideration
of shared labour and machinery and other
capital costs.
Glengowan Dam to get
full study
Opponents of the Glengowan Dam
project in Perth county have won one battle
in the war against the project. Frank Miller
Minister of Natural Resources has
announced that a full environmental
assessing hearing on the project will be
held. The cabinet could have given the
project an exemption if it had acted before
the January 31 deadline but chose not to,
meaning the hearing must take place into
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PG. 16. THE RURAL VOICE/MARCH 1978. I
the $17.6 million dollar project which
would see a nine -mile -long reservoir built
in Fullartun township to, help with flood
and stream control. Main beneficiary of the
project would be the city of London which
would gain moderated stream flow in the
Thames river to improve effluent dispersal
from the London sewage treatment
facilities. The city has been designated a
major growth centre by the provincial
government with the population expected
to grow to 500.000 by the end bf the
century. However the Ministry of the
Environment has warned that improved
sewage facilities must be installed and that
unless improvements are made there may
be no new growth allowed at all.
Opposition in Fullarton had centred
around the loss of 2000 acres of farmland
and the possibility the reservoir would
become an "odourous mud flat" when
water levels were low in summer. Stratford
had called for a study to be made. St.
Marys which would gain some measure of
flood control from the dam, had supported
the project and called for flood control to be
the major concern of the project with other
reservoirs in the Upper Thames watershed
being used for stream augmentation. The
Thames Basin Study prepared by the
Ministry of Environment had said that the
dam would be of little use for spring flood
control since its main concern is stream
flow augmentation. Mr. Miller said that
the questions raised about the project in
the past two years were the reason behind
going to the study. The environmental
study include alternatives to the project.
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