What is the truth on this one? In Alberta Farm Express there is an article quoting Dennis Laycraft (CCA)saying the Cdn rules are over zealous, too costly "..and might just make the difference between those cattle being processed in the US instead of Canada"
Yet in an article in Cattlemen listing all the costs involved in cattle production in Canada vs the US they quote "...the extra $5 per head on feeders (sic) and $15 on cows that packers are having to pay to remove SRMs.."
Is this really the cost of SRM removal?? if so why the @#$@% is Laycraft bitching about this "high" cost that is going to ruin the industry??
Come to think of it why are CCA/Laycraft spending producer dollars fighting this issue anyway?? - it's a packer issue not a producer one. Remember as farmers_son says we (as producers) are sellers of live fat cattle not beef - similarly "we" do not operate packing plants so we should not be fighting this issue. That is why Tyson and Cargill spend $millions lobbying politicians.
The wording in Laycrafts article is telling though. On the new SRM rules "That put us at a competitive disadvantage as American beef plants were not faced with the same increased costs"
There seems to be a confusion within ABP/CCA as to whom they are actually representing. In this case they seem to be clearly lobbying for the financial interests of the US owned packing plants that are ruining Canadian beef producers by their price fixing and captive supply antics.
Yet in an article in Cattlemen listing all the costs involved in cattle production in Canada vs the US they quote "...the extra $5 per head on feeders (sic) and $15 on cows that packers are having to pay to remove SRMs.."
Is this really the cost of SRM removal?? if so why the @#$@% is Laycraft bitching about this "high" cost that is going to ruin the industry??
Come to think of it why are CCA/Laycraft spending producer dollars fighting this issue anyway?? - it's a packer issue not a producer one. Remember as farmers_son says we (as producers) are sellers of live fat cattle not beef - similarly "we" do not operate packing plants so we should not be fighting this issue. That is why Tyson and Cargill spend $millions lobbying politicians.
The wording in Laycrafts article is telling though. On the new SRM rules "That put us at a competitive disadvantage as American beef plants were not faced with the same increased costs"
There seems to be a confusion within ABP/CCA as to whom they are actually representing. In this case they seem to be clearly lobbying for the financial interests of the US owned packing plants that are ruining Canadian beef producers by their price fixing and captive supply antics.
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