Beef Initiative Group Canada-Great BIG C !

[pandiana]

In my opinion, this group is exactly what is needed. Many can fiddle while Rome burns, but I cannot. We have seen what R-calf has been able to do with their lobbying efforts, rightly or wrongly. The little guy is being heard.

We absolutely must keep this issue in front of the public in order to maintain their support especially during the election. We need every sector that has been hurt by BSE to stand up for action. Are you feeling invisible? I am. For the first time today a politician (Harper) acknowledged the BSE issue but offered nothing new other than he would make a better job of getting payouts to farmers??

I do believe that we have had very good support from the media. Yes, as someone said, they do like the sensational aspects. But lets face it! This is becoming very sensational from my perspective and methinks it will get a lot worse soon. Let's hope we're not too late.

I do have some concerns. I sincerely hope that we can work towards what we have in common and appreciate our differences in an open debate.

It seems to me that there is a general concensus that we need more Canadian killing capacity before anything else can be done including testing or new markets. Let's put our efforts toward this. Cargill and Tyson have clearly stated they will not entertain 100% testing so we must build our own facility in order to have that option. Wouldn't a government investment in our industry be more palatable to taxpayers than more handouts that are so diluted as to serve little purpose other than to buy a couple of months groceries or pay utilities? I remember one of my professors in reference referring to government grants asking, "What would be a better investment... 1000 individual entrepreneurs getting $10.00 or one entrepreneur receiving $10,000?"

[kato]

Exactly.

If these new plants were not stopped from testing if they wished, then they would just be that much more likely to succeed.

What's more damaging, legislating mandatory testing, or legislating against voluntary testing?

Currently we legislate against testing. I can't see as how that's done us any good in the last year.

In a business climate where small companies were not allowed to use any means available to them to secure markets, they will be doomed to failure.

We need a tool to get out from under the thumb of the big corporations, and the ability to pursue markets not currently open to us is a real good place to start.

We'd probably be better off not to bring in mandatory testing. That way the big boys can keep doing what they are doing, and we can get on to business without them. If/when the States gets their first native born case, we'll be ready. If/when they manage to blame it on Canada, then we'll really be ready.

Let's not sit back and wait for the hammer to fall.

[whiteface]

That is exactly the point I want to get out as well, kato. I don't especially want mandatory testing, just the option for 100% testing at smaller, perhaps producer owned (or otherwise) plants. I would like for us to be ready also for when the states are ready to slam another CCIA tag in a suspected case and try further to justify keeping the border closed forever. We need other options. Packing plants would be nice, permission to test is necessary and sell the meat to whoever requires the test and like everything else in business, costs are passed on to the people that desire or require the test. How hard is this to understand. If people are concerned with safety, its tested. If the us wants to bitch about our contaminated meat, here's the proof, shove it up your @$%#$%, get your own system, including traceback. Finding new cases, you sure will whether its contagious or not and I sure as hell would like to find cases sooner with a test rather than later as a global epidemic. And not only this, I think with testing our meat, costs get passed on, including to the states, maybe they can no longer afford our meat and have to compete with Japan or the UK for the product. People are so worried about these new packing plants going under when (yeah, right) the border opens, who's to say they get it just because they decided they will now accept our meat #$@$% them! Certainly whos to say they get it without paying the price...our costs for testing plus the interest on those new packing plants. This is like any other business venture, it just involves cattle instead of something else. You pay more for a Ferrari than a ford focus and you get more car with the higher price tag, and just about anyone who can afford it wants better things but we have choice also, we're not forced to have to drive one or the other.

[kato]

We've made the news in Australia. How's that for getting your opinions out to the public?

Canada Beef Industry Crisis- Paper
(Monday, May 24, 2004 - Australian Cattlefacts)

"When you simply look at the big picture..., what we see is the legalized prostitution of the Canadian Beef Industry by the largest American agriculture power brokers on the planet. As it stands now, we do nothing to resist." Not our words but the conclusions of a desperate Canadian beef producer trying to wake his fellow producers out of an ignorance and aparthy about their real industry as it flirts with post BSE demise. You can read the whole (very long) paper in the Money With Cattle pages of our web site- look under Canada.
Although this story is about the BSE related woes of the Canadian Cattle industry it has been reproduced on the Cattlefacts web site for future reference because we consider it highly instructive for Australian cattle producers. Except for the emphasis on BSE, many Australian producers could feel right at home inside this picture. It also gives readers an excellent insight into the relationship of the huge U.S. cattle market with it's minnow dependents, Canada and Mexico.

Written by one producer, Cam Ostercamp, it highlights the vulnerabilities of an export dependent beef industry (like Australia's) and how that industry can be brought to its knees by instutionalised ignorance, aparthy and wrong headed thinking. It details the absolute dominance of major buyers and how dependence on them and fear of repercussions from them bind politics, and administrators with thick chords to big company needs and outcomes.

It catalogues the all too familiar naivety of so many producers who are so consumed by demands inside their farm gate and so exploited by greedy monopolies and unimaginative administrators outside it, that they become surfs in their own kingdom. Above all it highlights that the outcomes an industry gets is directly related to the quality and accountability of its industry leadership. Neither of which are highly rated in Australia at this time, by Cattlefacts at least. Your comments are welcomed by Cattlefacts ..END

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[kato]

Here's the link.

http://www.cattlefacts.com.au/ArticleEditor_Preview.asp?AID=1307

Seems the cattle business has similar problems wherever you are.

[grassfarmer]

Cakadu, You say: "Now more than ever, supplying the domestic consumer is crucial for us. As is supplying what cuts we are to the US." Unfortunately due to the Packer practises, supplying the Canadian and US markets at current prices is what has brought this industry to the brink. The returns the producer is getting are unsustainable. Understanding this would perhaps lead you to get behind this new producer group even if testing shouldn't really be an issue.

[rsomer]

Cakadu: I was struck by the wisdom in your comments and then I remembered. 100% testing is not going to happen. It is not that I am for or against 100% testing but it is not going to happen. We are absolutely positively going to be harmonized with the U.S. and there is nothing any of us is going to do about that. Given that reality, producers calling for 100% testing definately has the potential to undermine our consumers confidence in beef with no potential of ever actually happening.
Worse, Japan might take strength from Canadian producers support of 100% testing and hold tough in talks with the U.S. The U.S. won't give on their position dragging out the talks and delaying the opening of our border.
I do think there needs to be a more rational response to a positive BSE test from all our customers, domestic and foreign before North American will even consider 100% testing. In the meantime removing the SRMs does provide 100% assurance of food safety. I know that is not what most of you want to see but that is how it is.

The U.S. taking so long to open our border is just going to destroy all confidence in their and our beef. Our producers have had it up to their eyeballs and are fed up. It is understandable that producers are reaching out for solutions. Still 100% testing is not going to happen. It is not an option government will even consider.

[rsomer]

I am so glad that you have so much confidence in your consumer confidence theory rsomer. It does not sem to me that you are convincing too many on this thread however. I personally don't go for the "treat them like the dummies they are" approach, but you and all of the people who have taken that stand will obviously never budge.

Like I have said before, Japan is treating their consumers with respect and even looking to them for direction. This is a long range goal, and one that will proove the hyper infectious disease theory wrong as well.

Show me proof (experimental and theoretical) that BSE is passed through feed rsomer. This would be a good homework assignment for someone with all the statistics and the answers like yourself.

Call us splinter, and predict us dangerous, but don't call us useless.

[ALICIA]

The customer will be 100% confident when we can advertize that every bet of meat that is in the store has been tested for BSE.
Like it or not if Canada test, the states will have to follow along because they will loose sales if they do not.
ps. Just because Australia has not reported a case of BSE doesn't mean they have not found one in the bush. Don't they have just as many sheep as England and New Zealand also.

[cswilson]

I hate to rain on anybody's parade-but once these packing plants are built I assume they will be run like a business-ergo to make a profit.I can't see how they will be paying more for my finished cattle if that is the case.The packing business is brutally competive-that is the reason there are so few as of today. The only way I can see them working is if they fill some niche the big three aren't supplying. To go head to head with them I just can't see being feasable.