Failure

[cowman]

No matter how you cut it the federal and provincial governments have fumbled the ball when it comes to the BSE crisis. There was an editorial in one of the local weeklies about how both the feds and Alberta have spent $2.2 billion dollars on BSE and things have actually gotten worse.
Now $2.2 billion could have built one hell of a lot of packing houses?
Okay, so they screwed up, which is always pretty easy to criticize in hindsight...but how come they still aren't doing anything? Will they continue to throw away money or will they do something positive to start to solve the problem?
How about two or three fast tracked packing plants? They built the DEW line back in the sixties in six months. The cost was horrendous as they built it in the winter and they built it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was considered necessary for our national security and sovereignty. I would suggest the same argument could be extended to the BSE crisis, if we had the right spin doctors?
Instead we have a government(s) that continues to fiddle while Rome burns? Perhaps Big C or the other protesters can wake up the politicians to get off their duffs and do something? I hope so.

[ALICIA]

cowman: Steven Harper here in Ontario has given funds to four abbitror to increase their kill cupasity. One is just about 45 minute drive from me, I'll be very interested to see just want he does, seen that not 2 years ago he built a new plant because the old one burnt down and he increst his fee to kill and cut and rap by 30 or so dollars to kill and from 10 cents cut and rap to 40 cents cut and rap (so I heard) He also runs a fresh meat store in front of plant. But he was very small, so I'm watching.
The one that was run out of the pen wasn't mentioned, and he is no longer using inmates as help, and his kill went down from say 100 week to maybe 35 per week.
I didn't catch where the other 3 plants were being upgraded.

[nerves]

Alicia here in Alberta the private plants charge 50 to 60 cents cut and wrap with a kill fee of 30 to 50 dollars. Now with more processing and deboneing the price can jump up another 10 cents. ( but I would rather pay them than give to the American plants).

[ALICIA]

I'n not 100% sure of the prices. But I would like more plants also.
Why are your plant charging that much is it because their is not that many out there, and around me their are about 4 in a half a hour distance.

[Writer]

Alicia: Steven Harper - the politician?
Whose money was he investing in meat
plants?

[nerves]

Alicia to be honest there are at least 6 within 40 miles. But they are booked up from one month to three months waiting period to get an animal in. So I guess they can charge what ever they want.

[ALICIA]

Steven Harper the polition made this anosment Wendesday at noon. Writer

I guess your right, because they are booked up around here also. Nerves

[ALICIA]

I got the Steven right but the last name was Peters.