The Rural Voice, 2001-03, Page 431
providing that service. "If there was
any fee it would be more like four or
five cents," said DeGroot, not the
possible 45-50 cent -per -pig fee
suggested in the resolution.
Danbrook said the price mentioned
was just a starting point.
Another resolution called on
Ontario Pork to initiate discussions
with other provincial and national
commodity organizations,
stakeholders and general farm
organizations to address the issue of
the declining share of the food dollar
that is going to farmers.
"The retailers' share is increasing
at the expense of the processor and
producer," said Gerald Kolkman of
Monkton.
The final resolution called for
complete documentation on
condemned hogs to be provided to
the producer. "We always used to get
documentation," said Walter Bosch
of Monkton in supporting the
resolution. "I'm starting to question
the accuracy and the confidence I
have in the system."
Clare Schlegel, chair of Ontario
Pork said the codes are put on the
settlement statements. The practice of
sending complete documentation had
been discontinued because of the cost
of inserting the paper into the
envelope by hand.
Schlegel came under fire at the
meeting for handling of the selling of
Ontario Pork's assembly yards,
particularly the Stratford yard's sale.
After several pointed questions on
the issue he admitted that perhaps the
sale could have been handled better
than it was.0
Ontario still has
advantages in pork
production
Despite the growth of pork
production in Western Canada,
Ontario still has advantages that will
keep it a major player, Lee
Whittington, manager of information
services with the Prairie Swine
Centre told producers attending the
Centralia Swine Research Update in
Kirkton, January 31.
"There's a lot more upside than
News
downside in Ontario pork
production," Whittington said.
History shows pork production
develops and expands where there is
a reasonable expectation of profit, a
viable packing industry and the
political will to see one industry
develop over another, Whittington
said. "The future of production in any
one province or country is not
predetermined by location or natural
advantage."
While Manitoba now has more
pigs than Ontario, Ontario has
continued to add pigs as quickly as
Saskatchewan, and Alberta's plans
for expansion have been limited by
the ablity to find acceptable sites.
Over the past 30 years Ontario's
. number of producers has dropped by
about three per cent per year but pork
production has increased by about
1.8 per cent per year.
One of the advantages Ontario has
is the cost of preparing a new
production site compared to the west,
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