This can't be good

[kato]

(Want to see Western Alienation take off? Read this.)

The Canadian Pork Council says a plan to divide Canada into two separate regions for the purpose of disease surveillance and control is the first step toward establishing zoning within Canada. A plan developed by the Canadian Animal Health Coalition calls for the establishment of two separate zones in Canada with the dividing point to be located at the single crossing between Manitoba and Ontario at West Hawk Lake. The plan, which has been circulated to the various commodity groups and to government, is intended to allow the export of animals and animal products from one zone to continue in the event of an animal disease outbreak in the other zone.
Canadian Pork Council President Clare Schlegel views the plan as a first step toward full fledged zoning.
"There would be a monitoring of the flow of animals, meat and anything else that has the potential to carry an infectious disease across that point. It's a full operational plan with a budget. It's calling for a governance model where, again, it's industry run and led and, if we can get this zone up and working, there would be potential other zones that we could build. If a full Canadian animal ID system was in place and we knew where all the animals were and where they were all moving one could argue that we could make many many smaller zones. That is not the case today so it's a first step and it would allow western Canada to continue to export in the event of an infectious outbreak in eastern Canada and perhaps the other way around if the outbreak happened in eastern Canada." Schlegel says the plan is as comprehensive as others around the world and he's confident it will meet international standards. He says international recognition of zoning within Canada is extremely important and he hopes to see the system fully implemented by next spring.

[magpie]

I suppose there are good and bad points to zoning. Before BSE became the major crisis, it was TB that was the hoop we were jumping thru. Zoning comes with extra costs and only leaves a smaller group of voices to fend for themselves. We all know how hard it is to get the governments ear. Numbers of voices are important key in solving problems. On the other hand, not the whole country is crippled and life could go on as normal. Sort of on the fence on this one.

[WoolyBear]

The whole point of investigating the idea of zoning Canada was to better control the spread of diseases like Hoof and Mouth. It had been thought that the border crossing at West Hawk Lake could be shut quickest and thus hopefully stop the spread of H & M whether it started in Quebec or in Alberta (sorry for using these two in my example). Another zone might have been BC, and of course PEI and Nfld. If I ever find the report about it (George Morris Center I think) I'll pass along the link.

This isn't a pork thing..........its a Canadian Livestock thing. CPC was just co-ordinating some of the research.

[15444]

This is probably one of the better ideas I have heard in awhile. Although I do not think that it should be exercised to any extent except if there is some kind of disease outbreak, like H&M. This would actually be quite efficient as their are so few access roads or barges to many areas of provinces. In reality, every province or (in some cases) group of provinces could be isolated into zones. PEI, NS, NF, and the border between Manitoba and Ontario could be used to create isolated zones. The only places that would be hard to zone into individual provinces would be PQ/ONT and MB/SK/AB. The West Hawk Lake point would be a critical point as it is only one highway and offers a fair distance between farms, an important aspect when dealing with H&M.

[WoolyBear]

CPC voices support for proposed Canadian plan for zoning
September 2, 2004, Farmscape (Episode 1593)
The Canadian Pork Council says a plan to divide Canada into two separate regions for the purpose of disease surveillance and control is the first step toward establishing zoning within Canada. A plan
developed by the Canadian Animal Health Coalition calls for the establishment of two separate zones in Canada with the dividing point to be located at the single crossing between Manitoba and
Ontario at West Hawk Lake. The plan, which has been circulated to the various commodity groups and to government, is intended to allow the export of animals and animal products from one zone to continue in the event of an animal disease outbreak in the other zone. www.farmscape.ca

I'm still looking for the actual report

[wd40]

This has to be a GOOD PLAN
I;m sure you remember shortly after May 20 the Minister of Ag from Ontario wanted to call it a Western Canadian problem and "Regionalize". Lets go for it! And keep the transfer paments here too.

[kato]

How can it be good? Eastern Canada can technically call itself BSE free, and we're on our own, boys.

REALLY on our own.

Am I the only one feeling a bit abandoned here?

I can see it for contagious diseases, but not for what we are living with now. If they drew a line at the MB/ON border, they could allowed beef exports from Eastern Canada only, and we might as well pack up and move to town.

What little attention we have gotten from our politicians would be considered outstanding compared to how they would listen to us if Ontario and Quebec were not involved.

We would not exist. We are too few to matter.

[ivbinconned]

"By next spring"????

Is this why so many calves have been leaving for Quebec?

[wd40]

KATO - you said it right on - take a look at what you read. Eastern Canada views us just like the US does, always has and always will. If we weren't subsidizing the east we could easily take care of our selves.

It's called Eastern Math 101

[Bez]

wd40 - whoa up there. Some of us in the east actually do know what it's like - and surprizingly enough some of us can work cattle and throw a rope.

There's a pile of us out here in the east hurting as well. We few folks making our living on the ground here are ruled by the "centre of the universe - hog town" and it's rotten, crime ridden, politically correct, gutless wonders who run it. It's not an advantage.

I live so close to the Franco border that I can spit over it when the wind blows hard enough. I also happen to have a few cows in Alberta.

We are not all ass holes who think like what you read in the press.

Most of us are on the way down - banks have about a dozen in my area - more to come this winter. I may be one. Trust me we do not all agree with our so called "ag leaders".

We do not have a "Ralph" we have a lyin' sob called Dalton - count your blessings few as they may be at this time.

ivbinconned - calves go to Que because they get a 300 canuckleheaded buck per head subsidy direct from the province - on top of the fed stuff.

As well, they have a farmers union that takes crap from NO ONE - otherwise they dump manure and milk at the gates of their political rulers - they are militant and it works. Very militant - and they march at the drop of a hat. Police do not bother them - the union is not afraid to go physical. They want something, they damn well get it - or the province comes to a screeching halt. I've seen it - and I've seen the politicos cower.

We could take a few lessons from them.

Bez

[cowman]

Maybe we need to import a few of these frenchmen to show us how it is done? Seems to me they have their act together and know how to get things done?
Actually I kind of like the whole concept of deviding the country into zones! Maybe we could do it for just about everything? Maybe things like healthcare, education, language policy, enviro standards, gun control, taxation etc.?
In fact, we could take it a step further, and make the "zones" basically autonomous? That way the "zones" could take care of their own people, make their own laws and rules, pay their own way? How about four "zones"? Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes, western Canada? Maybe we could scrap our useless Parliment and just have four leaders sitting down once a month to kind of co-ordinate things? Each "zone" could have their own money or we could just use the American buck?
Sounds good to me.

[ivbinconned]

Welcome aboard Bez; Cowman and I have been preaching for a couple decades that there is nothing "equal" in the way the feds treat the provinces. In fact we are treated, each, in a very SEPERATE manner. So we just want to make it official!!

Bez perhaps you could enlighten us as to how the the re-named ASRA program works in Quebec and rewards Quebec feeders with the $300 per calf?

[tojo]

I've travelled through Quebec on numerous occasions and have seen first hand the agricultural political infrastructure in that Province. It is probably the only Province in Canada where the politicians are kept up to date about the situation(s) in the primary sector. They are ver-r-r-ry well organized and very powerful. They are very professional in the art of lobbying ... something that the younger farmers in the rest of Canada were not taught after the "good times" in the '70's and early 80's (which plays right into the hands of the politicians and bureaucrats) It seems to me that rather than critize them, we should salute those who are on the cutting edge, and who are undoubtedly helping all of us farmers in the rest of Canada who have sat on our butts. Without the actions of those in Quebec to keep the Feds and their own Government in line, we in the rest of the country would be a lot worse off. We are all farmers in a vast country ... we had better learn to work together and stop our in house bickering....we have other battles to fight in a common front!

[ivbinconned]

tojo; no one else here can claim to have brought more lite to this form about the Quebec ASRA progams, or for that matter Western Canada than myself.
It was my digging this information out that brought it to the attention of the Alberta Ag minister.

Some of these details are repeated in the tread "unfair"! Check it out.

No where, not once, have I ever criticized the Quebec producer! If anything I have criticized us for letting ourselves be so divided.

I have criticized those "Canadians" who have to take responsability for giving the west the mushroom treatment for a decade telling us to vent our anger at the Americans and Europeans for subsidies while at the same time doleing it out in Quebec!

If you think that by being nice we will eventually be treated equaly and fairly....well, you must have just got here.