CAIS Administration

[grassfarmer]

Is it only me or is the CAIS administration at Lacombe impossible to deal with? Rude, high handed, make careless mistakes right left and center, never return phone calls or respond to messages. Fire the lot I say!

[kato]

It's not just Lethbridge. I called them up to ask what's wrong with the website. You can check the status of your application on it, and it sometimes has information, and sometimes it is blank.

I couldn't believe the woman who took my call was actually a real employee. She told me "Oh that, we don't even bother with that any more. It doesn't work half the time."

I asked her to check on our application and she said, "Ya, it's here." I asked her if it would take much longer to process, since they've had it for four months now, and she told me, "Could be done any time now, I think they've gotten a few finished so far."

All the time she was talking to me she sounded like she was going to fall asleep any minute! The thought actually crossed my mind that the cleaning lady had picked up the phone. I wonder if there is even anyone in the office in the summer time, or if they're all sitting on a beach somewhere.

It would sure be nice to know what the *&^* is going on in there, and how somebody can get a job like that?

[Kathy]

Don't have this problem anymore, as we have dropped CAIS - Agristability.

One of the last AFSC employees I spoke with said it plain and clear, just as Groenveld did on June 5, 2008,

"if your going to take money from the government, the government is going to tell you how to run your business".

Simple solution, stop taking money from the government.

[farmers_son]

The government is going to tell you how to run your business anyway. You might as well take the money.

I noticed on the Alberta Government Ropin the Web site they have a new word. Instead of saying future participation will be mandatory they say it will be "essential".

See: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/com12314

"Beginning January 1, 2009, all Alberta livestock producers must provide updated Premise Identification information and, for cow-calf producers, Age Verification information. Additional requirements such as movement, source verification, along with yield and grade information are scheduled to begin in 2010. Details on these additional requirements are still being worked out in close consultation with industry.

Participation in this system will become *essential* as markets confirm the value of this information and demand increases."

The word essential reminds me of various government services like police and hospital workers that are deemed “essential services”. Is that where this is going?

What George also said on June 5 was “Producers who are unable or unwilling to transform their business by meeting these new verification and identification conditions may need to consider ways to exit the industry….”

See: http://alberta.ca/acn/200806/236915962D304-B91F-45D9-1E2802D0075952C0.html

[grassfarmer]

Quite right farmers_son, "..You might as well take the money."
I'm quite enjoying using the Federal APP interest free money to cash flow part of my business - being in Agri-stability is necessary to get the money in this case. I have no qualms farming Government - if their policies do not create a suitable marketplace to ensure a fair return to primary producers damn straight I'll take their money - whatever hoops I have to jump through to get it. Still a lot easier than trying to get a fair return from Cargill, Tyson or XL.

Well that's great if we are now considered "essential" - the police and hospital workers are generally held in fairly high regard, maybe we can aspire to such popularity also?

[kato]

My feelings on subsidies for food is that if the government, through various policies designed to encourage a cheap food policy wishes to provide food security along with the cheap supply, then it, along with those benefitting from the cheap food policy should be prepared to support the primary producers of said cheap food.

Since people in this country feel no guilt about spending one of the smallest percentages of income on food, therefore leaving more for things like shelter, education, holidays, boats, and motor homes, then we who supply the cheap food that allows it, should feel no guilt about taking a helping hand to keep the whole game going.

If they want to send me a cheque, I'm happy to cash it. If I could go to the consumer and tell them exactly what they are going to pay me for my product, and can set a price that makes me a living, then I am just as happy, if not more, to not need a cheque from the government.

[Kathy]

As cow prices are on the upswing, compared to the last 5 years, just suppose that they go high enough to make it attractive, again, to raise cattle.

All the people with a little extra cash, and some friends with land etc. will jump back into the cattle business. Where do we draw the line on handouts to those in the meat industry?

I caution you, the Hon. George Groenveld also stated: that this would be the LAST of the money/handouts. Are you prepared to jump through hoops well into the future, without these cheques from government?

Most people seem to be OK with the extra burdens only as long as the money from the government keeps flowing.

I agree whole heartedly that the people should open their eyes to the true costs of agriculture in the local communities; but, don't these subsidies distort the whole issue? Don't our international deals distort all this?

What the ALMS does is insure that the "export" market is held above the "domestic" market.

As I have said, the domestic market is all we can bank on.

Remember when the eastern provinces wanted to separate themselves from Alberta after the first BSE case. ALMS will give the CFIA more power to close premises and very likely to create separate Canadian zones, in order to allow the east to continue to sell meat internationally, while Alberta is limited to domestic sales.

Anyways, what I'm hearing here, is that Albertans in the meat industry are OK with the government taking away their property rights, their OK with farming government programs, and their OK with society continuing to take them for granted. Isn't this the statis quo?

My personal feelings are very different from this trend. I am not happy with the government telling me how to raise my cattle; I'm not happy with farming government programs (even though I pay alot of taxes), and I'm tired of a population that treats nutrition with no respect.

Every aspect of our lives are affected by poor nutrtion.

I wish to stand up for my beliefs, and I am grateful that I can. I only hope that speaking freely, gives others confidence to speak out as well.

[Kathy]

Did anybody else see the 6 oclock news on CFCN today (Tuesday).

In a report on how cattle producers were upset with the Alberta Livestock and Meat Strategy they listed the "requirements" which will be "mandatory"... their list, however, FAILED to mention "PREMISE ID".

The reporter Jefferson Humphreys stated, that as of January 2009 those producers that do not comply, with the ALM strategy, will be breaking the law. WHAT LAW?

A law that isn't even proclaimed yet!

Absolutely garbage reporting. I have been so disgusted with the news media as of late.... the media is nothing more than paid hacks for their advertising clients, and government. They can't even report on this issue without missing the most important aspect... PREMISE ID!.

Another meeting in Mayerthorpe tomorrow September 3, 2008. You local guys who are against this thing, better get your butts out to this meeting and tell them that you will not surrender your property rights and freedoms for the good of an industry that has taken advantage of the cow calf producer all this time.

Just when cow/calf producers were beginning to band together to create their own niche markets... along came big, noisy goverment to "rein us in". Yes, "rein us in" - that's how Will Verboven sees it (we're out of their control).

The Alberta Animal Health Act cannot be proclaimed without breaking the laws which govern Acts and Regulations. Tell you MLAs this before they proclaim the bill despite this.