The Rural Voice, 1991-05, Page 64PERTH
County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER
Vince Hulshof, President
R. R. 1, Sebringville, NOK 1X0 393-5586
• The Rural Voice is provided to Perth
County Pork Producers by the PCPPA
PORK BATTLE LOOMS OVER FREE TRADE
The following article appeared in
the Financial Post.
by Peter Morton
OTTAWA — The Canada -U.S. free
trade agreement won't be worth the
paper it's written on if Canada again
loses a battle over pork exports, one of
the Canadian negotiators says.
The two-year-old agreement is fac-
ing its most serious test yet — one that
trade officials say will prove crucial for
future trade relations between the two
countries, Gordon Ritchie, now a pri-
vate consultant, said Friday.
"If Canada loses this argument, the
FTA won't be worth the paper it is
written on."
The long, bitter dispute over Can-
ada's pork exports to the U.S. faces the
ultimate test whcn it reaches the last
avenue of appeal undcr the agreement
— an extraordinary challenge of a previ-
ous panel ruling.
"This is no routine appeal," said L.
W. Koegnter, a spokesman for U.S.
Trade Representative Carla Hills, who
launched the challenge.
The committee of three — two Cana-
dian judges and one American, has 30
days to make a decision.
If Canada should win, it will prove
that the dispute settlement mechanism
works and will discourage other un-
happy U.S. or Canadian pressure groups
from following the same route, U.S.
trade consultant Bill Merkin said.
But if Canada loses, the implications
are far more serious, said Martin Rice,
director of the Canadian Pork Council.
"It means every time Canada wins, it
could be turned over," he said. "So what
good is the free trade agreement?"
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is-
sued his toughest warning yet, accusing
the U.S. of abusing the free trade agree-
ment and threatening to pull out of the
Canada -Mexico -U.S. talks if Canada
loses again.
U.S. pork producers arc convinced
that Canadian dress pork is subsidized
and had managed to get an 8 cent (Cana-
dian) per kilogram countervail duty.
60 THE RURAL VOICE
But Canada won another small victory
recently' when the U.S. Department of
Commerce reduced its assessment of
Canadian pork subsidies to 3 cents
(U.S.) from 8.8 cents (U.S.) per kilo-
gram. The amount of subsidy is used to
determine how much countervail duty
to slap on Canadian imports.
Canada finally thought it had won
the complex battle last February after a
trade dispute panel essentially ordered
the joint International Trade Commis -
BARBECUE REPORT
During the past year, the barbecue
was used at 15 events, including the
Plowing Match in Brant County.
Alfred and the gang barbecued at the
Zurich Bean Festival again in August
where they served approximately 7,000
pork chops. We have been booked again
for the '91 Bean Festival on August 24.
We catered to a new, large barbecue
at St. Marys June 30, where we served
2,000 people. The organizers think it
may become a yearly event. If you know
of any group or groups wishing to use
our services, please call 291-4038.
Lambton County have asked and -
made arrangements with us to take our
barbecue and two or three couples to
help at the IPM September 17 to 21,
1991.
On behalf of the barbecue commit-
tee, we would like to thank everyone for
making 1990 a successful year. We
especially want to thank the non -direc-
tors and everyone who helped make the
barbecue at the IPM a great success.
The committee sold 25,000 pounds
of pork chops, 913 poundsofrib-o-pork,
2,277 pounds of steaks, and 1,100
pounds of patties last year. Boxes of
pork may be ordered by calling: Alfred
Young, 348-9352; Dennis Zehr, 595-
4771; Frcd DcMarincs, 393-6812; Mar-
tin Van Bakel, 345-2666; or Wayne
Hartung, 291-4038.0
submitted by
Wayne and Shirley Hartung
•
sion to reverse its previous ruling that
found Canadian pork subsidies were
injuring the U.S. industry.
Although the ITC unanimously
agreed there was no injury, based on
new evidence, two of the members were
strongly and publicly critical of the
decision. It was that criticism that led
Hills to call for the extraordinary chal-
lenge.0
submitted by
Garry Van Loon
OPPMB
A Wellington County pork pro-
ducer, Richard Ross of Fergus, has
applied under the provincial Freedom of
Information Act for copies of the
OPPMB Directors' minutes. The Board
is required to provide copies of all min-
utes, (as well as many other documents)
to the Farm Products Marketing Com-
mission, a part of the Ministry of Agri-
culture and Food. The minutes thus
become "government documents" and
are therefore subject to the Act.
The Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act sets out a
procedure by which most provincial
government documents are available to
the public. Some types of information,
such as personal information about any-
individual
nyindividual (other than the applicant) is
excluded, but even there, a document
containing some prohibited material
can still be released with the prohibited
material blanked out.
"I won't be able to find out the
Board's general manager's salary," said
Mr. Ross, "but these minutes should go
a long way toward lifting the veil of
secrecy that surrounds the OPPMB."
A final decision by OMAF's Free-
dom of Information co-ordinator is ex-
pected before May 16, but appeals are
expected to further delay the release of
the minutes.0
submitted by
Garry Van Loon