The Rural Voice, 2006-10, Page 42News in Agriculture
Brussels beef plant slowed, but not stopped
Plans for a new beef processing Team Canada Trade Mission. Front
and packing plant near Brussels and centre during these discussions
continue to move forward. according was the Brussels beef plant.
to officials involved. "With so much attention given to
The Project Steering Committee the U.S. market during the BSE
met recently to examine progress to crisis. we forget that other regions of
date and determine the next steps the world are interested in what
needed to make the venture a reality. Canada has to offer," says Paul
the group said in a press release. Nichol of the Huron Business
The committee is made up of local Development Corporation. one of the
industry, municipal and economic Trade Mission sponsors. "Hong
development leaders from the Kong and Southeast Asian are among
Midwestern Ontario community the fastest growing markets in the
located in the heart of beef country. world, and with increases in the
This past year, it commissioned a standard of living. the demand for
series of reports looking at emerging high quality meat products is
export opportunities for Canadian growing immensely".
beef. Results to date have been That's good news for the Brussels
promising, with several "hotspots" plant. since not all of this demand
identified, including Hong Kong, can be served by existing packers.
Southeast Asia and Mexico. "We're talking about niche markets
"The key to making this thing here. where the demands of the end
work," says Joe Seili, mayor of consumer — be they organic, halal,
Huron East. "is to produce a high etc. dictate the need for flexibility on
quality product that suits the exact the killing floor." This is according to
specifications of what the market is Dennis Glavin of Elevator 5, a
looking for. Buyers in these countries marketing and communications firm
want to know exactly where their that has assisted the committee.
meat is coming from — how the "Larger operations simply can't
animal is fed, how it is slaughtered, provide that degree of customization,
and the types of specialty cuts that nor are they particularly interested in
can be made-to-order." doing so."
Others agree. In August, trade So far, the committee has been
representatives from Canada and encouraged by its findings. But
Southeast Asia met in Hong Kong to they're not yet ready to put shovels in
discuss opportunities in Canada's the ground. First, the project needs to
agri-food sector as part of the Junior find financial backing. With so much
of the focus on export markets, the
committee is looking to direct foreign
investment as an option.
"We would have liked nothing
better than to have this plant
producer -owned," says Nichol. "But
the reality is, we have a price tag of
$35 million to build the plant, and we
are just not going to find that kind of
money from the producers
themselves."
With that in mind. the proposal is
now being shared with officials at the
federal Agri -food Investment
Secretaries as well as the Ontario
Investment Service to start "shopping
it around". These agencies deal
regularly with out -of -country
investors who may be looking for
good places to put their money.
Through these channels. the group
hopes to find a food distributor or
retailer that wants to secure their
supply chain by taking ownership in
the plant. That benefits the producers
and local community as well, since
by developing that relationship, the
buyer/investor is likely to be around
for the long-term.
"We've done our homework," says
Seili. "The markets look promising.
The design specs' and estimates for
the plant are in. The property is
zoned and ready to go. And so far,
we haven't seen anything that tells us
this can't work."0
Huron County wants large voice on Source Water committee
Huron County councillors should majority of land covered is within
be well represented on the Source Huron County. He argued it would
Water Protection Planning be difficult to choose people from the
Committee, councillors decided at different lower -tier municipalities to
their September meeting. properly represent the county so
Under the provincial Clean Water suggested the appointments should
Act, given second reading last April, be at the county level.
the planning committee will be set up "It's my opinion that the
for the Maitland and Ausable- appointments should come from the
Bayfield watersheds, an area that county level," agreed Goderich
touches six counties and involves 22 councillor Deb Shewfelt. "Huron
municipalities. The committee will County is the largest land base in
include 15 people plus a chair. both watersheds."
Central Huron councillor Bert Ben Van Diepenbeek, councillor
Dykstra raised the issue of Huron's for Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh
representation, noting that despite the noted that two or three of the council
far-flung nature of the area, the members were already members of
38 THE RURAL VOICE
the Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority and others members of the
Ausable-Bayfield Conservation
Authority, meaning three or four
people were wearing multiple hats at
conservation -related meetings.
Planning director Scott Tousaw
recommended that councillors might
want to amend their motion that the
county request the opportunity to
appoint one of its members to the
committee to make it two or three.
An amendment was passed saying
the county requested up to three
members on the committee.0