Press Release
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/artic
le/718437--should-we-comfort-our-food?
bn=1
And my response to anyone I could think
to mail it to...
Bill C-468 has come to my attention and
concern as a beef producer. The bill
proposed by MP Alexandra Mendes;
Brossard – La Prairie would change the
allowable haul periods for cattle to be
reduced to 12 hours, rather than the
current 52.
At first glance this seems extremely
reasonable, however there are several
extenuating circumstances that make this
bill counterproductive.
First, the fact that it imposes
regulations on process, rather than
outcomes is of concern for a variety of
reasons which are animal welfare
related. Trucks operating at faster
speeds to hit the required time
constraints may actually cause more
stress on animals through cornering,
braking, etc. than those driven more
carefully and taking slightly longer in
transit. Additionally, this requirement
would potentially require animals to be
offloaded with very short periods left
in transit, and then reloaded and hauled
the remainder of the way (eg: a 14 hour
trip would now require an offload, wait
and reload which is quite likely more
stressful than simply continuing the
haul to the endpoint).
Additionally, federal regulatory changes
in both Canada and the US have increased
transit times immeasurably. This
includes offload waits at processing in
order to comply with MCOOL legislation
and also waits at border crossings in
order to comply with both CFIA and USDA
requirements as well as added security
precautions. A 12 hour rule would
greatly reduce the range of markets for
feeder cattle, as well as calves. For
examples try Google maps and sort out
some of the destination times from
places like Ceylon or Tisdale,
Vegreville, or even Lethbridge to plants
at places such as Fort Collins or Omaha.
Remember to factor in legislative
delays/border crossing and the fact that
loaded transports cannot safely travel
at the same speed as a passenger car. I
would propose that the above legislation
needs to compensate producers for
potential market losses for hauls that
may slightly exceed the 12 hour limit.
Several markets also require the sending
of sealed trucks. The negotiations that
surround this issue such as unsealing,
offloading and reloading a sealed liner,
represent a further barrier to trade in
Canadian cattle, a sector that has
already been firmly damaged by imposed
regulatory burden (eg: SRM removal and
disposal).
One of the comments that truly struck
home in the article (link below) was
that we should build more regionally
based plants, closer to the cattle. I
speak from the experience of an investor
(who lost money) on this one. The
Canadian processing capacity for fed
cattle is already overbuilt, and concern
exists with the current cowherd
contraction that an additional large
processor may choose the exit the
country given the potentially restricted
supply of fed cattle. Further limiting
the market for fed cattle, or somehow
artificially adding processing capacity
under the guise of animal welfare will
likely propagate the further demise of
the Canadian processing industry.
Currently Canadian processors also have
to tackle an overwhelming regulatory
cost that is not applicable to their US
counterparts. Wait times at processors
would also greatly restrict the range
from which fed cattle could potentially
be sourced. The simplistic solution
proposed in Bill C-468 and the linked
article fail to address the issues
surrounding animal welfare and the
development of a profitable industry.
For the record, we are extremely
concerned with animal welfare in our
operation and do not promote the
mistreatment of animals. The intent of
MP Mendes is to be applauded, and
supported. It needs to be recognized
that the simplistic approach used in
Bill C-468 has many unintended
consequences for animals and the
industries involved. As we work to care
for animals in transit, legislation
needs to be focused on the end result
and minimizing stress and discomfort for
the animal, not simply on a
counterproductive schedule of events.
Thank you for taking time to review my
concerns. It is appreciated. Please
feel free to forward this to those who
may be interested or concerned with this
issue.
Sean
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/artic
le/718437--should-we-comfort-our-food?
bn=1
And my response to anyone I could think
to mail it to...
Bill C-468 has come to my attention and
concern as a beef producer. The bill
proposed by MP Alexandra Mendes;
Brossard – La Prairie would change the
allowable haul periods for cattle to be
reduced to 12 hours, rather than the
current 52.
At first glance this seems extremely
reasonable, however there are several
extenuating circumstances that make this
bill counterproductive.
First, the fact that it imposes
regulations on process, rather than
outcomes is of concern for a variety of
reasons which are animal welfare
related. Trucks operating at faster
speeds to hit the required time
constraints may actually cause more
stress on animals through cornering,
braking, etc. than those driven more
carefully and taking slightly longer in
transit. Additionally, this requirement
would potentially require animals to be
offloaded with very short periods left
in transit, and then reloaded and hauled
the remainder of the way (eg: a 14 hour
trip would now require an offload, wait
and reload which is quite likely more
stressful than simply continuing the
haul to the endpoint).
Additionally, federal regulatory changes
in both Canada and the US have increased
transit times immeasurably. This
includes offload waits at processing in
order to comply with MCOOL legislation
and also waits at border crossings in
order to comply with both CFIA and USDA
requirements as well as added security
precautions. A 12 hour rule would
greatly reduce the range of markets for
feeder cattle, as well as calves. For
examples try Google maps and sort out
some of the destination times from
places like Ceylon or Tisdale,
Vegreville, or even Lethbridge to plants
at places such as Fort Collins or Omaha.
Remember to factor in legislative
delays/border crossing and the fact that
loaded transports cannot safely travel
at the same speed as a passenger car. I
would propose that the above legislation
needs to compensate producers for
potential market losses for hauls that
may slightly exceed the 12 hour limit.
Several markets also require the sending
of sealed trucks. The negotiations that
surround this issue such as unsealing,
offloading and reloading a sealed liner,
represent a further barrier to trade in
Canadian cattle, a sector that has
already been firmly damaged by imposed
regulatory burden (eg: SRM removal and
disposal).
One of the comments that truly struck
home in the article (link below) was
that we should build more regionally
based plants, closer to the cattle. I
speak from the experience of an investor
(who lost money) on this one. The
Canadian processing capacity for fed
cattle is already overbuilt, and concern
exists with the current cowherd
contraction that an additional large
processor may choose the exit the
country given the potentially restricted
supply of fed cattle. Further limiting
the market for fed cattle, or somehow
artificially adding processing capacity
under the guise of animal welfare will
likely propagate the further demise of
the Canadian processing industry.
Currently Canadian processors also have
to tackle an overwhelming regulatory
cost that is not applicable to their US
counterparts. Wait times at processors
would also greatly restrict the range
from which fed cattle could potentially
be sourced. The simplistic solution
proposed in Bill C-468 and the linked
article fail to address the issues
surrounding animal welfare and the
development of a profitable industry.
For the record, we are extremely
concerned with animal welfare in our
operation and do not promote the
mistreatment of animals. The intent of
MP Mendes is to be applauded, and
supported. It needs to be recognized
that the simplistic approach used in
Bill C-468 has many unintended
consequences for animals and the
industries involved. As we work to care
for animals in transit, legislation
needs to be focused on the end result
and minimizing stress and discomfort for
the animal, not simply on a
counterproductive schedule of events.
Thank you for taking time to review my
concerns. It is appreciated. Please
feel free to forward this to those who
may be interested or concerned with this
issue.
Sean