I'm not sure how many others from Manitoba come here, but for those who do, I have a question.
I've been thinking a lot lately about our whole situation, and keep going back to an idea that's been lurking around in my head for a long time now. It's about all that money the feds promised for expanding meat processing in this country, and which I have heard no news about any being spent yet.
Should we be lobbying for that money to go to provincially inspected local abbatoirs who would like to expand to federal inspection status?
Just think about all the big plants that have tried to start up since BSE, only to bog down under cashflow issues, management issues, and restrictions which I'm sure have the backing of the big plants. They tried to jump in at the deep end, and that just doesn't work.
On the other hand, there are literally hundreds of small local abbatoirs in this country. Virtually every cattle producer in this country has a face to face long term relationship with the operators of these abbatoirs, since virtually every cattle producer has his own beef processed. I don't know one single person in this business who does not have a freezer full of their own beef. So you already have an established network of producers and processors in place.
What is missing? These processors do not have the resources to take it to the next level and expand in a logical sustainable way. They cannot export even to other provinces, let alone other countries. They cannot even sell to the local grocery store.
Local food is the way of the future, IMO. People want local food, and it's sometimes not easy to find. Lots of people who would not take an extra drive to the local butcher shop would very likely grab local first if they found it in the grocery store.
Not all plants would be interested in growing more, but then again, some would. These would be the ones that will succeed before any other packing scheme would. Before corporations got the stranglehold on the market this is the way all businesses came about. The local market is one that the bigger plants just don't have the time for, and this whole scheme would be under their radar.
Every extra bidder on the market is good for us.
The reason I'm asking this question of Manitobans is that right now the MCPA is holding local meetings all over the province, and will be collecting resolutions for the annual meeting.
Opinions please................????
I've been thinking a lot lately about our whole situation, and keep going back to an idea that's been lurking around in my head for a long time now. It's about all that money the feds promised for expanding meat processing in this country, and which I have heard no news about any being spent yet.
Should we be lobbying for that money to go to provincially inspected local abbatoirs who would like to expand to federal inspection status?
Just think about all the big plants that have tried to start up since BSE, only to bog down under cashflow issues, management issues, and restrictions which I'm sure have the backing of the big plants. They tried to jump in at the deep end, and that just doesn't work.
On the other hand, there are literally hundreds of small local abbatoirs in this country. Virtually every cattle producer in this country has a face to face long term relationship with the operators of these abbatoirs, since virtually every cattle producer has his own beef processed. I don't know one single person in this business who does not have a freezer full of their own beef. So you already have an established network of producers and processors in place.
What is missing? These processors do not have the resources to take it to the next level and expand in a logical sustainable way. They cannot export even to other provinces, let alone other countries. They cannot even sell to the local grocery store.
Local food is the way of the future, IMO. People want local food, and it's sometimes not easy to find. Lots of people who would not take an extra drive to the local butcher shop would very likely grab local first if they found it in the grocery store.
Not all plants would be interested in growing more, but then again, some would. These would be the ones that will succeed before any other packing scheme would. Before corporations got the stranglehold on the market this is the way all businesses came about. The local market is one that the bigger plants just don't have the time for, and this whole scheme would be under their radar.
Every extra bidder on the market is good for us.
The reason I'm asking this question of Manitobans is that right now the MCPA is holding local meetings all over the province, and will be collecting resolutions for the annual meeting.
Opinions please................????
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