ABP Freedom Day

[kato]

I'm not an Albertan, but I think I just might pipe up here. ;-)

What happens in your province has a ripple effect that goes way past Alberta. The ABP is a major contributor to things like the CCA, Beef Information Centre, and things like that, just based on the number of producers you have. If those entities lose enough current funding from ABP, it will affect every cattle producer in the country.

I do know that this is a big worry with our MCPA, but it's really out of our hands. (Like just about everything else..)

That being said, money talks, and if the ABP won't listen to it's members, maybe it will change it's tune if the members walk off with their funding.

Whatever, I sure hope you guys get this sorted out.

[burnt]

Well my checkoff goes to the O.C.A (Ontario) and all I've got to say is if the current economic situation is the result of the good efforts of all of our cattle orgs, then I'd hate to see what it would look like without them.

Oh wait - it might not look any different.

[grassfarmer]

You said quite a lot FS let me respond a piece at a time. You said:
"What is being overlooked is that without a strong producer organization like Alberta Beef Producers it will not matter what resolutions get passed. A weak and ineffective producer group that only represents the narrow interests of the few, the NFU comes to mind but there are similar producer cliques out there, can pass all the resolutions that come before it but they will have no effective influence with government or industry."

Equally you could say the converse is true - even if an organisation has effective influence with Government that opportunity is wasted if they do not have the correct policies or resolutions. I think ABP overestimates the influence they may have once had with the AB government. Maybe they were just being humored as long as it didn't interfere with the people who really dictate the ag policy in this province - Cargill foods?

You then mentioned the "democratic structure of Alberta Beef Producers."

I have been fighting this one for years - ABP is one of the least democratic organisations I have ever encountered. This charade of Fall producer meetings where producers are supposedly listened to only for the resolutions to be thrown out en-masse at the AGM and the directors then make up their own set of policies. I'm told now that I wasn't informed of the defeat of my resolution at AGM because they didn't have my address. Come on folks you need to try harder - I know 2 of my zone directors personally and I'm sure most people in ABP know who I am and where I live.I've send plenty communications to ABP by mail in the past with my address on them. There is always Google.

I'll give you an example of a grassroots democratic producer organisation - the NFU. We had a local meeting recently and because of the BSE class action law suit issue going on it was added as an agenda item. Mr Kaiser attended the meeting and gave some input. The consensus of the meeting was that this was a legitimate cause so a resolution backing it was raised and passed. Now normally such a resolution would go to our zone meeting in June and if passed would go to the AGM in November. Realising this time scale was not appropriate the regional coordinator chairing the meeting will put it in front of the executive as an emergency resolution at their next conference call. I fully expect this to be carried and the NFU to be the first organisation to formally back the BSE class action law suit. This is how democracy should work - the ABP model shows how democracy doesn't work as the resolutions are all drawn out for years or sidelined or overruled by the executive once they are approved by the directors.
There is a lot more but I know I'm wasting my breath with FS. There are two points of view on this issue and we will never agree - at least now we can choose which to support with our checkoff dollars. Democracy is a great thing, long live democracy.

[gwfl]

I disagree with the method the government has used to dismantle the ABP. The problem has not been, in my view, with the Levy itself, but with the way the funds have been managed and used. The ideology of the association determines which resolutions are acceptable and which ones the leadership does not agree with. It is my understanding that the ABP is preparing for a major reduction in funding and are taking steps to accommodate the possibility. There will be, of course, a question of whether the ABP will continue to be "the organization" that represents the producer portion of the industry in the future. If they are not, who will it be?

In an earlier thread, the question was asked why the following resolution was defeated.

“Be it resolved that ABP request the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association lobby the federal government so that all meat imported into Canada comply with any mandatory legislation imposed on Canadian producers.” Zone 7.

This is certainly a valid question, because Canada imported the equivalent of about 675,000 head last year.

[wd40]

gwfl - you make an absolutly valid point. However I think if the truth were known about what REALLY happens at the Poker Table at the top of Canadian economics the US and IMF want to keep Canada in a position to export the majority of raw products, so the value can be added in someone else's labor force.
ABP, CCA, Canadian Canola Councel, soft wood lumber, oil/gas, etc, etc, are in control by the "stake holders" multi-national interests.
These "so-called" producer lobby groups never succeed because of the infiltration of other interests.
They are just a "window dressing" to make us feel like we're in some sort of control.
Someone earlier in this thread mentioned CBEF etc. Well with all the copious dollars and hours spent by those oganizations, etc. ect. what have they got to show for it.
A downhill spiral.