Big Meat-Packers in Contempt Over BSE Finances

[rsomer]

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/040506/b0506128.html

CALGARY (CP) - Executives at three major beef-packing companies could face jail if they don't provide financial statements by Monday to a federal committee looking into whether the industry profited from the mad cow crisis.

The all-party committee took the unusual step of finding the packers in contempt of Parliament.

Alberta-based Cargill Foods and Lakeside Packers, as well as Montreal's Levinoff Meats Ltd., have until Monday at noon (ET) to turn over the documents. If they don't, their chief executive officers will face jail, Kilgour said.

The agriculture committee has also heard from the American packing industry, which has complained that Lakeside and Cargill are able to buy the meat cheaply in Canada then sell it in the United States at premium prices.

[cakadu]

So are we to take it then that the American packing industry wants the chance to be able to buy cheap Canadian beef and sell it at premium prices as well?

[rusty1]

Anybody notice that the price of schredders has gone up in particular cities. :-) I'm sure the courts are going to see this process yet.

[gwf]

If I were one of the packing plants, I would refuse also. The various governments have aided and abetted these two big boys for years, at the expense of many smaller plants that were forced out of business. They say they were inefficient. What would you sooner have a little inefficiency or the monopoly we have now? We created the business atmosphere for them to operate in and now we want to question their business ethics.

[grassfarmer]

The comment was made on the radio this morning by an MP that the packers knew they would not have got away with this type of arrogance in the US and they are being taught a lesson. Well done politicians - finally we are starting to get somewhere.
I will be complaining loudly to ABP if there is not a comment welcoming this move in todays BSE bulletin. Anyone care to join me?

[grassfarmer]

Is Kilgor a Liberal or does he sit as an Independent?
Who cares, lets get the RCMP running these crooks down, they always get their money (oops I mean man.)
Go Feds Go!!!! To heck with the Flames.

[cakadu]

People who have nothing to hide --- hide nothing. These companies have been given assurances that proprietary information will not be given out, so what is the problem, unless they have something to hide?

What makes people think that they don't have to be accountable for their actions?

[rsomer]

According to the Western Producer a May election call for a June vote would dissolve parliament and invalidate parliaments demand for the financial records. I doubt if the packers ever will hand over their financial records to parliament.

It looks like the Canadian system is much weaker than the U.S. when it comes to accountability of business, especially foreign business operating in this country.

[kato]

I think it's up to us to keep this an election issue.

Perhaps, before the election, we should all talk to the prospective candidates in our ridings to make sure they are planning to follow through on this.

Let them know that our votes will go to a party that will not forget the last year.

[ALICIA]

Even if they are fined. It wasn't them that bought my cattle last fall. It was the drover that I sold them to that resold them to some one else that sold them to some one else that may or may not of sold them to eather one of the big packers. They are gone because I tryed to save the rest, but it looks like they will go for nothing also, because their is twice as main how as there was on May 20 of last year. As you were told supply and demand.