The Rural Voice, 1991-07, Page 18STRATFORD AGRI
ANALYSIS INC.
OMAF ACCREDITED
GUARANTEED 3 DAY
TURN AROUND
CORN, BARLEY, SBM
HOG & POULTRY RATIONS
TYPE 2 $16.00
Dry matter, crude protein, calcium,
phosphorus magnesium, sodium
potassium, copper, zinc, manganese,
and iron
FORAGE SPECIAL
PAY FOR 2 ANALYSES GET 1 FREE
"Until July 31, 1991'
HAYS & HAYLAGES
DAIRY & BEEF RATIONS
TYPE 3 $19.00
As Type 2
+ ADF, NDF, ADF-N
+ Calculated TDN, NE
Add 7% G.S.T.
NOTE • Please send cheque
with samples or leave at
refrigerated drop off box at
P.O. Box 760,1131 Erie Street
Stratford, Ontario N5A 6W1
Phone/Fax: (519) 273-4411
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14 THE RURAL VOICE
IN DEFENCE OF CONSUMER
CROSS-BORDER SHOPPING
Brenda Baltensperger is co -publisher
and editor of Moonstone Press.
The topic in Jim Fitzgerald's
Behind the Scenes, April 1991, was
Canadians going over the border to
shop, and the hardship it causes
farmers in lost revenue.
Consumers can be divided into two
groups — the "haves" and the "have
nots." The first of thcse groups buys
indiscriminately, and has the financial
wherewithal to purchase what it
wants, whenever it wants, without
any consideration of the effects of its
purchasing power.
The second group, and there are a
lot of us in it, has limited financial
assets. It has to get the best value it
can for an ever shrinking dollar. Even
the basics of food, clothing, and shel-
ter are a luxury to most people in
this sccond group. It's a matter of
"which" and not "how much" of these
necessities one can afford.
I prefer to buy directly from the
farmers or farm markets whenever
possible, but sometimes it is too much
of a strain on my limited income.
Advertising that comes across the
border by way of television is quite a
temptation: eggs for 650 a dozen,
bread for 600 a loaf, cereal for $1 and
$2 a box Tess than the ones on our
supermarket shelves, can add up to
quite a large overall saving on gro-
ceries.
It's not the farmer's fault. His
overhead is much higher than that of
his American counterpart and he's
lucky if he can make any profit at all.
The free trade agreement has in-
creased competition in marketing,
allowing imports to undercut our own
Canadian goods, making it impos-
sible to export competitively and still
survive in farming. Canadians pay
out 40 per cent of their income in
taxes — in the U.S., it is 25 per cent.
Admiuedly, we have excellent health
services available to everyone, but at
what cost? The newly implemented
GST has hit formerly tax free items
with a vengeance, thus shrinking our
consumer dollar even further. By the
same token, pensions and minimum
wages haven't increased sufficiently
to offset this, so there is substantial
growth in the "have nots" group.
This leaves consumers in a quan-
dary — do you buy expensive fresh
produce from your local farmer, which
limits the quantity your dollar will
purchase, or do you cross the border
and get all you need for a reasonable
price?
Obviously, money spent in Canada
guarantees jobs for Canadians and
assures that we continue to be a self-
supporting country where food pro-
duction is concerned. 1 prefer to
support Canadian farmers, but there
are people who do have a limited
choice. The only way to overcome
this problem is to educate the Cana-
dian consumer. A few years ago,
produce in supermarkets was flagged
as being "Canadian" and "imported."
This didn't last long because it caused
"problems" for chains. It was simpler
to lump it all together (at a saving to
the chain buyers) and standardize the
produce, i.e., "Canada No. 1," simply
meant that this was a measure of
quality. Confused consumers assumed
that because of this labelling the
produce was Canadian grown.
Educating the consumer should
start in elementary schools, especially
in our large cities. By the time these
children become consumers them-
selves, they will be more discerning
when it comes to shopping Canadian.(>
Brenda Baltensperger is a jour-
nalist, poet, playwright, novelist, and
artist. She has been writing profes-
sionally since the age of twelve, and
was subsequently a stringer for se-
veral national English newspapers
and the Toronto Star, a columnist for
three years with The Niagara Ad-
vance, and a feature writer for the St.
Catharines Standard.