Class Action Rally's

[rkaiser]

We not be able to agree on a lot in this industry, but the one thing that I feel we can agree on is the fact that our industry is in financial peril. Yes there are optimists and those who have taken matters in to their own hands and are slowly showing progress. However, as much as the analysts, industry delegates, and producers themselves want to keep there jobs, those jobs are disappearing. I realise that industry groups can not help this cause as they are standing with their hands out for crumbs that will feed us for another few days or trying in vain to make the major changes needed to stop this bleeding like corporate control etc. etc.

Therefore --- we need to take responsibility to save this industry ourselves and that opportunity is already in progress. It is in the form of capital ---- which all of us not only need to survive but to buy back our industry and take responsibility (once again) as not only cattle producers but as beef suppliers to the people of our country and the world if we have any left over.

We are as responsible for the current cattle industry model in this country as the government or the multinational companies. We gave up responsibility as much as they took it. Yes we all simply want to raise cattle, but the system does not work when every link in this so called chain is looking to break the one next to it. The current system is so far from an interdependent system that it is not even fun to jest about any more. The change must be drastic and government does not know what drastic means.

Drastic means a huge ---- multi billion dollar lawsuit that puts the money in our pockets to change the industry forever.

Like I said earlier --- we can not expect industry lobby groups to help and we can't blame them for not helping.

I am proposing rallies across Canada to not only get the attention of producers, but media and politicians as well. My own MP barely knew anything was going on.

I know that you will read this Cam and feel that I even have some ideas for the next steps. BIG C put more people into community halls across Western Canada than ABP can put in producer fall meetings in 5 years. There are people who could help. The message needs to be clear from Cam and his group either through attendance at the meetings or CDs to hand out to every producer, industry member, politician and any other soul that enters the arena.

I don't know if any of the Ridley settlement is available to use for something like this, but if it is Cam ----- the time is now.


Chow for now
Randy

[perfecho]

And lets not forget consumers.....I'm in!
Larry

[kato]

I agree.

Way to go Randy! Sounds worth pursuing. Keep us posted.

[rkaiser]

Pretty sure you could all take your messages about Canadian beef in Canadian Stores and anything else you would like to take to an information meeting where you can also learn how to help put some much needed dollars in all of our pockets.

Might want to even call the rally's something other than BSE class action rally's if you like....

Whatever it takes to get the producers and the consumers, as Larry says, along with politicians, media and anyone else interested in true Canadian beef out in numbers.

[kato]

How about take the approach of saving the family farm?

This is not just about cattle producers, it's also about grain growers who are losing a market for feed grain.

It's about small towns who's economies depend on a strong farm community. Just think of the money that is spent every year by cattle producers on fuel, feed, machinery, vet, trucking, and so on. We figured out the other day that if we suddenly went low cost to the point where we no longer rented pasture, bought standing hay, or backgrounded calves, we'd take an astounding amount of money out of the local economy. Times that by a few thousand producers, and you've got some damage.

It's about those consumers concerned with where their food comes from. From speaking to people in the summer at the Farmer's Market, I hear it every week. Since consumers in general are not impressed by so called "factory farms", show them that the independent family farm is the best way to guarantee not having a future filled with only factory farms.

There are so many more people than us involved, but they don't know it. They will know it when we're gone, but that will be too late.

I think once we got people on board, then we could offer the class action suit as a good starting point to recovery. I bet if you filled a room with people of all walks of life, explained it to them, and had those letters to the government that we all sent in earlier available to them, the government's mailboxes would fill up pretty quick.

We need to not just stand up and holler about this situation though, we need to have a list of solutions ready to go.

[cpallett]

OK, my turn to rant a little bit. In my view the big issue here is Food Safety Awareness. The statistics are alarming, and the average Canadian consumer doesn't have a clue.

Twenty years ago we imported 20% of the food consumed domestically in Canada. Today that number is 40% and rising rapidly. We all may have our axe to grind with the CFIA, but the bottom line is that we have a food safety system in Canada that ensures that our domestically produced food is among the finest, if not the finest, in the world. On the other hand, we have absolutely no practical control over the quality of imported food. For example, Dennis McKnight told me the other day that 70% of the food on the grocery shelves that purports to come from Italy is counterfeit. I bet the folks in Toronto (more than half a million of whom claim Italian descent) never heard that one.

The answer appears obvious. Reverse the trend. Increase the percentage of domestically consumed food versus imported food. How do we do that? Increase domestic production by enhancing the profitability and sustainability of Canadian agriculture at all levels, including and especially the family farm. How do we create the political will to do that? Food Safety Awareness. Lots of disparate groups from the left wing Greenies to my hard-bitten right wing clients will jump all over that bandwagon. Lots and lots of agendas there that lots of people will want to put forward. The Phillipines has a Food Safety Awareness Week. Why not Canada?

At the end of the day the message is clear: if you want safe food, you'd better support the hard-working Canadian farm families that bust their humps each and every day to provide it for you. Or, you could buy Italian.

End of rant.

[kato]

Good rant.

[rkaiser]

Gonna shoot for one to start with toward the end of March in Red Deer Alberta.

Those who are okay with there cash flow and capital should not come. We don't want to rent a big area for those who don't need the cash.

[kato]

Manitoba will be there in spirit, but I don't think anyone here can afford the gas money....

We're all rooting for you!!! And watching carefully to see what happens. If it goes well, will there be more?