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Lucknow Sentinel, 2009-08-19, Page 10• • i, t \ j f • Page 10 - Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, August 19, 2009 • • Q.1.. �. ra`I/. `- .• •- i . t'• • skeiton Nernoriais k+a 410160111M. ItG JNG CKNOW SENTINEL Irthday O\')e'p Makena McEwan August 21, 2001 - 8 years old Isaac Smith August 25, 2001 - 8 years old '' Jo join the Sentinel's birthday club, just give us '�r?_ a call at 519428-2822. Children can be a # `. member up to and including the age of 12. Pork producers in dire straits due to H1N1 BY CHERYL HEATH Clinton News - Record Staff Pork producers are not making the. bacon. Canada's • pork industry is in dire straits due to a com- bination of factors including dwindling demand, world- wide, thanks largely to misinformation about the spread of the H1N1 virus, which is consistent- ly inaccurately THE HURON -PERTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD .. 1•... STUDENT REGISTRATION • Parents may contact the following schools to register their children in, Catholic education during the week of August to 28. 20Q9 or on the second day of school. Wednesday, September 2, 2009. SECONDARY /berth County: Huron County: St. Michael Catholic Secondary School St. Anne's Catholic Seconds's, School 240 Oakdale Avenue 353 Ontario Strict Stratford, ON N5A 7W2 - Clinton, ON NOM 1L0 Telephone: 519-271-0890 Telephone: 519-4S2-5454 ELEMENTARY Huron County: St. Cvhunban School Our Lady of Mount Carmel School St. Joseph's School Precious Blood School *St. Mary's School St. JamesSchool Sacred Heart School St. Boniface School Perth County: St. Patrick's School St. Patrick's School Hol} Name of Mary School St. Mary's School - *Jeanne Sauve School • St. Ambrose School St. Joseph's School St. Aloysius School St. Columben Mount Carmel: - Clinton Exeter Goderich Seaforth . Wingham Zurich Dublin Kinkora St. Marys Listowel Stratford Stratford Stratford Stratford *Jeanne Sauve and St. Mary's, Goderich are French Immersion. For more information, please go to www.hpcdsb.edu..on.ca.; Jim McDade, Martha' Dutrizac, Chairperson of the Board Director of Education 519-345-2086 519-237-3337 519-482-7035 519-235-1691 519-524-9901 519-527-0321 519-357-1090 519-236-4335 - 519-345-2033 519-393-5580 519-284-2170 519-291-3000 519-273-3396 519-271-7544 519-271-3574 519-271-3636 dubbed the Swine Flu. In fact, the advent of the H1N1 virus led to the immediate ban of Canadian pork imports in a number of the industry's markets, including Egypt. ' And things .aren't getting any better. Wayne - Black, president of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture, reports the number of pro- ducers facing forte' closure is on the rise. Indeed, there are mounting con+ cems for both - the economic and men- tal health of pork ucers. Issues negatively impacting the ins - try include the United States' Country Of Origin Labeling rule$, tightening U.S. bor- der regulations, ,and an .overall global recession. Black dotes Canadian pork. is mostly an export commodity . and since a number of its foreign markets consider pork a,tux-. ury and nota staple, the pork is coming off the fork in favourof goods. The end result, locally as well as. countrywide, is a vast number -- of pig . farmers are barely holding on to their family farms : as debts 'mount and the revenues continue to spiral downward. While things have been tough in the pork sector since about 1998, this past year has proven especially devastat- ing . for those trying to eke out a living, says Black. Things have become so tough, notes Black, that one Member of Parliament's call for a pig cull has many supporters since the supply far { exceeds the Black likens the. situation to the auto industry where in the past few years the supply has out- paced demand. The difference, says Black, is there is government atten- ' tion and public sym- pathy for autowork- ersl "Let's respect the people that have these pork farms. They don't havea pension, they don't have a severance package,' he says. Black reports the CFA is in the process of' ding ways to help pork producers deal with the stresses involved in .the industry since . for many of them, fanning is their only livelihood. "1 don't know: if it's as bad as the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Crisis of 2003, bRit there is going to be a lot of empty pig 'wane Working Group is hosting a meeting on the impacts of emerging climate trends on the shoreline, updated Shoreline Flood and 100 Year Erosion Hazard mapping and loprnent regulations. ;Saturday August 22, 2009 •~Knights of Columbus Community Hall > 90 Parsons Court, Goderich 9:30 a.m. Mapping on view 10:00 a.m. Presentations For information visa www.mvca.on.ca or contact he Maitland Valley Conservation Authority at 519 335-3557. barns this fall," says Black. Black adds the federal government is investigating ways to prop up the industry, including the Growing Forward suite of programs, but noth- ing concrete has come forward thus far. Teresa Van,Ray, a Dashwood -area pork producer, fur- ther illuminated municipal, federal and, provincial gov- ernments, nation- wide, this past June, when she .mass- mailed a letter out- lining the struggles Pork fes. On Thursday afternoon : of July 30, she had the opportunity fur- ther :drive her points home dining:a. pres- entation to Wayne Easter, federal agri- culture crit, during a discus- sion on agricufture held at the Kinburn- ar+ea cabin of Liberal member and agri- culture activist Nick Whyte. Like Black, : she notes there are a host of issues hurt- ing the pork sector, so much so that pro- ducers are seeing returns ' of .$30 to $89 onananimal that cost $150 to start with She says .one of the battles pork pro- ducers are facing, at least education wise, is at the gro- cery -store level since consumers still have an ample supply of pork. The unfortunate thing is it hails from the U.S. She notes the industry creates 70,000 Canadians jobs that produce $3.2 billion in cash receipts. Even with all the stats on how much the industry gives back to the econo- my, Van Ray's main message was calling for a compassionate response. "There needs to be a plan to help. producers exit the with digni- ty, she says. "When a fanner loses ' t job, they loso their home." Echoing Black, she . notes Employment Insurance and retraining are options that aren't available. Another main point for Van Ray.is pushing the govern- ment to eliminate the phrase "swine flu" from the public lexicon when addressing the H1N1 virus. . "I want to ensure H1N1 is -referred -to as H1N1," she says. Fuiiher, notes Van Ray, it seems unfair for Canadian pro- ducers roducers . tobe forced to follow stringent regulations and standards while imports need not adhere to the same rules. Plus, says Van Ray, it's frustrating that while countries like the U.S. legis- late that government bodies must buy U.S. produce and meats, Canada has no such rule. The main mes- sage with regard to the plight of pork producers today, says Van Ray, is that if there's a glimmer of hope on the hori- zon, it needs to shine. "If there is going to be an announce- ment, it - needs to be announced soon," says Van Ray. For his Easter, who. been a MP since r f 993, notes he was once a pork er, and he knows. all too well how diffi- cult i i -cult times have become. "The hog industry is in an unbelievable crisis," he says, not- ing one of his fears is interest ram will rise. Those seeking either financial advice or emotional support are urged to call : Farm - Line at 1: 888.: 451-2903. Those seeking only financial advice can call the Farm Debt Mediation Line at 1 866 425-5556, while those seeking emotional support can l the Farm Stress Counsellor at. (519) 284-2263. Photo by Gait Reid Concession 4, from the Huron -Kinloss boundary to Hwy. 21 was receiving surface treatment last week as part of the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. Lavis Construction of Clinton is undertaking the work. On hand to give their support to the proj- ect last week were Huron -Bruce MP Ben Lobb, Huron -Kinross 1.vp. Mayor Mitch 'tirvolan and director of public works for Huron -Kinloss l'wp. Hugh Nichol. Operating the heavy machin - vary it. the background was Bill McAllister an employee of Lavis Construction.