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The Rural Voice, 1989-07, Page 72BRUCE 44610th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1 P9 519-364-3050 • The Rural Voice is provided to Bruce County federation members by the BCFA. County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER OPINION THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND Ontario's rural communities have been both blessed and challenged by The People and the Land. This 16 -page document, released by the Catholic Bishops of Ontario, provides much food for thought and reflection. The document was produced to stimulate the urban people into in- formed solidarity with Ontario's rural communities. The bishops address themselves to the human or social is- sues, then to the economic problems, and finally to the issue of ecological balance. The document also includes some of the church's social teaching, some recommendations, a conclusion, and a biblical reflection. Here we high- light parts of the recommendations: TEN AREAS OF CONCERN AND RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Wise Use of Land: We ask for an immediate commitment by government to limit and restrict development on prime farm land in Ontario. 2. Debt Restructuring: The govern- ment of Ontario should establish lend- ing mechanisms complementing the Federal Debt Review Board to help with the re -arrangement of debts for insol- vent farmers. The goal should be to help keep insolvent farmers on modest -sized but viable farms. 3. A Beginning Farmer Program: A beginning farmer needs the assurance of long-term credit at reasonable interest rates as well as substantial interest re- bates during the first five to seven years. In justice, these cannot be tied to pro- duction or profit requirements. 4. Economic Support Programs: We would recommend, as a help to moderate-sized family farms, enhanced stabilization programs, de-escalating as production increases. 5. Improved Marketing Structures: The farm community should initiate better marketing mechanisms that allow farmers to set just prices for production, regulate the level of production, and exercise careful control over the import and export of their particular commodi- ties. Supply -managed commodities must be safeguarded in any bilateral or multinational trade agreements. 6. Monitoring of Imports and Ex- ports: Commodity export and import must respect the right of domestic pro- ducers of both countries to a just price. 7. Self -Reliance and Sustainable Agriculture: Long-term goals should be set on self-reliance based on a sustain- able model of production. 8. Co-operation: We do need more human and Christian solidarity if justice is to prevail. The farm community needs the understanding and support of the urban population. 9. Education: We need an educa- tional policy that stresses for our stu- dents and adults the importance of the gifts of land and food and the need for appreciative and wise stewardship. 10. Collective Action: Finally, we recognize as legitimate all non-violent collective measures by farmers to cor- rect the present injustices of the socio- economic order and make true progress in justice, peace, and security.0 Respectfully submitted, Bruce Federation of Agriculture Public Relations Committee Note Each month this page will contain an opinion on a current; farm issue.; We would like to knoui what YOU think. If your opinion differs from the one you have read here, or if you support our view - - the office at 364-3050. CATHOLIC BISHOPS CHALLENGE FARMERS TO PROMOTE ETHICS by Diane Baltaz, Kitchener -Waterloo Record Ontario's Roman Catholic bishops are challenging farmers and urbanites to restore ethics and respect to farming. Speaking to 80 farmers from various denominations at a Catholic Rural Life Con- ference meeting, auxiliary Bishop Matthew Ustrzycki of Guelph warned that the Ontario fann crisis, if it remains unchecked, could eliminate 40 per cent of Ontario jobs in food processing and packaging. Yet he said he suspects that the 97 per cent of Ontarians who do not farm are un- aware of this interdependence. Nor do they know the depth of the environmental, social, moral, and economic crisis that threatens farmers. The bishop was speaking about a 16 - page document of the farm crisis, The People and the Land, which the Ontario bishops released in March. The document, which Ustrzycki co-authored, criticized various 70 THE RURAL VOICE structural injustices that result in low returns for farmers at the cost of environmental stewardship. More than 14,000 copies have been distributed. The bishop said that these problems, if they remain unchecked, could tum Ontario into another California, where family farms have been replaced by corporate farms. "And I hate to say this, but corporations' concern isn't for indiv iduals, but for profits." The church is partially at fault for today's abuses because it has not developed a theol- ogy of nature or agriculture, he said, but it has an ancient tradition that emphasizes that mankind as co -creators with God must "bring creation to perfection, not abuse it." He blames the industrial revolution of the past 450 years, which created a philoso- phy of domination instead of stewardship. This mentality fostered today's emphasis on profits over people and the land, he added. "This same pressure (for profits) affects the farm community now. Therefore, farm- ers are losing a sense of why we are here." Ustrzycki challenged farmers to find creative solutions and to build community. Bishops will challenge urbanites to unite with farmers because "we don't want you to have to do it alone." Some of this awareness will be fostered through the promotion of a parish study guide on The People and the Land which the bishops hope to release this summer, he said. Rev. Bob Bulbrook, chaplain of the Grey -Bruce CRLC, said farmers in his asso- ciation will be launching their own urban awareness program this year. Farmers hope to visit urban parishes in groups of three to explain today's farming situation, he said.0 FOR SALE: Globe "Short Snorter" self-contained breathing apparatus for silos or manure pits. Best offer. Please contact the federation office In Hanover: 519-364-3050.