WTO Storm Clouds again?

I haven't been paying a lot of attention to recent WTO activity. Besides, it's been kinda quiet out there. But when contradictory stuff appears 'out there' , wise citizens concerned about our ability to continue to feed ourselves need to pay attention. So too, do farm organizations for turkey, eggs, milk and chicken.

As noted in a Dairy Farmer's of Canada newsletter, last week, Supply Management (dairy) and the government's support for it, was detailed in question period. That was the first rumble.

About the same time the Ontario Farmer arrived and in it was a letter to the editor from former Senator Jim Tunney. This is the second rumble.

Entitled: 'Wheat Board Politics are of the worst kind', his letter gives some very interesting insights into the scanky and contradictory activities by the government, with regards to the Canadian Wheat Board. It is a quick history that all farmers and citizens should read. The last point in the whole letter is the part that made me pause:

Farmers want to trust our ministers, but have doubts when we see the results of a referendum and then hear another senior minister, David Emerson warn poultry and dairy farmers that they should prepare to find another way than with supply management to market their production.- Jim Tunney, Grafton

These are remarks Mr. Tunney, obviously knows about or has seen written, by the Minister for International Trade, the Hon. David Emerson.

Now Mr. Tunney has a respected background. He " was a director of the Dairy Farmers of Canada for 18 years and of the Dairy Bureau of Canada for 8 years. He was also a director of the Ontario Milk Marketing Board, representing farmers in six counties including his native Northumberland County. "[English]

During his term as Senator he was a member of the Standing Committee of Agriculture and Forestry. He is, as I would term it, "plugged in". His concern for supply management and the Dairy Farmers of this country is well known.

If farmers know what's good for them they need to have a hard look at the Hon. David Emerson and his government. No matter what they have said, are saying or will say, their track record with the Wheat Board is not calculated to inspire confidence in their activities with the WTO.

At the very least, supply managed farmers need to figure out what kind of options they may have to derail any stupidity coming from this government.-CG

R.I.P. !

I thought it particularly important to mark this date. This is the day Cangro marked for closure of it's Ontario Fruit and vegetable processing plants. This has weighed heavy on my mind for weeks since I first heard about it. Today this article showed up in Sun Media.

Cheaper imports threaten the 752,000 people employed by Ontario's agriculture and food processing sector.

Fruitless labour
Hank Daniszewski Sun Media
March 13, 2008


The slogan is Good Things Grow in Ontario. But finding those good Ontario-grown products in your supermarket is getting tougher.

The rising value of the Canadian dollar means food manufacturers are finding it easier to go global when they buy and process products. It's a trend that threatens the 752,000 people in Ontario's agriculture and food processing sector, the second-largest employer in the province. ( see complete article...)

This is our last peach and pear processor. It is about time somebody in the media tried to let the public know just what is going on out there.

As a consumer looking for Ontario processed foods it does not matter to me why they were leaving. I was SURE the 'why' is all about the money. It usually is. According to the article the Canadian owned processor was purchased 2 years ago by an American company. It is obvious, now, why they are leaving.

With a huge increase in the 'Grow Ontario" advertising budget, Ontarians are going to be even more aware of those products that are NOT from home. Since this is such a compelling issue for many consumers and growing daily, one has to wonder why the food processors left in this province fail to take advantage of all that free advertising to promote their products!!!!!!

I wonder if NAFTA and free trade rules will impact our ability to label food sourced in this country? Maybe we better work on keeping our processors before we have to sort that one out.

It looks like is going to be a long summer .

Again!!?!?!

I was doing a bit of trolling to-day and found a couple of interesting articles that I think merit posting on this site.

One refers to Loblaws and the infamous Pear Juice recall of late.

Tainted juices pulled from Loblaws' shelves
Arsenic in organic children's pear drinks puzzles investigators
Louisa Taylor , The Ottawa Citizen (see complete article ...)

While I was browsing that site I came across another one.... this time about Food Safety... again.

Safety at the table
The Leader-Post (Regina 2008) (See complete article..)

Things have been reasonably quiet of late but these articles and concerns about Food Safety keep popping up. The Tainted Juice story came along quick enough to just put the cap on the jug, so to speak.

The Leader-Post takes readers partway down the road of 'what if'. In my opinion this is just the beginning because far too few have thought that one out.

What if .. our border closes again? It is far from impossible... all it could take is a little bird flu epidemic in the wrong place. What if a major processor is shut down for contamination of some sort? What if we have more drought in the wrong county? What if ... gas becomes too expensive or in short supply?

How will we feed ourselves then? I really don't want to think about this one. It means one heck of a lot of HARD work. I have canned and preserved and stored food before. It is not an activity that I am keen to return to ... but like a lot of consumers out there if I must, I must and will. - CG

What do American Consumers Think?

While Canadian consumers struggle to locate Canadian processors and their products on most retail shelves, a new book has been published in the U.S. to provide their consumers with hard information. The article below provides some surprising statistics from the book.

WASHINGTON - Would you be willing to pay a little extra for goods made in the USA?Join the club.

Polls show a majority of Americans willing to do the same. And with China charging Americans to ship its hazardous materials to line the shelves of Walmart, Roger Simmermaker thinks he has the answer - a guide to buying American."How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism" is hot off the press, providing tips and listing thousands of retail outlets owned by Americans as well as manufacturers still operating in the U.S.

If you think Americans no longer care about where goods are made or have concerns about safety of foreign products, think again. Simmermaker has assembled some surprising statistics:

92 percent of Americans want country-of-origin labels on meat and produce;

68.6 percent of Americans check labels for information like manufacturer, nation of origin and ingredients - up from 52.9 percent a year ago;

86.3 percent of Americans would like to block Chinese imports until they raise their product and food safety standards to meet U.S. levels;

33 percent of Americans would be willing to pay four times as much for American-made toys;

63 percent were willing to join a boycott of Chinese-made goods in general

(see full article ...)

In the past, Canadian figures on issues like this, follow American trends and in some cases they are ahead of our American neighbours. I think food is one of those areas. Canadian consumers are generally even more knowledgeable than their American counterparts. After all, I am one of those consumers, too!

If I am right ..... then a lot of grocery retailers and processors will have to pay the piper for their lack of foresight.

Of note though, food retail giant Loblaws has another new commercial offering a dessert product (apple dumplings) made by Ontario farmers, which is a start. How about large, clearly identifiable signage for Ontario products?

Are they paying attention or are they just paying lip service? Only time will tell and consumers are watching.-CG

Tit for Tat?

Just prior to the news release by the Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, this article showed up in the news wire:

MPs say time for feds to abandon barley campaign
Updated Wed. Feb. 27 2008 4:27 PM ET
The Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- Opposition MPs say it's time for the government to abandon its campaign to end the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on sales of western barley.
Liberal Wayne Easter says consecutive losses in the courts make it clear that the government can't go on.

He says the move to allow farmers the choice of selling their barley themselves or through the board threatens the existence of the marketing agency.

The Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal have both ruled that the government can't change the barley marketing rules through regulations and must follow a process set out in the Canadian Wheat Board Act.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says western producers support the change and the government will bring in legislation to allow them a choice.

The opposition parties have said they'll fight such legislation.

Obviously, this was like waving a red flag to a bull and they are just as unpredictable.-CG

Where will YOUR Food come From?

This sad little article I noted recently, is a sign of the times. Just one in another long line of food processors leaving this province. It begs the question; just where ARE they going TO?

CanGro to close; Local peach growers to make tough decisions
Posted By BOB BOUGHNER
Posted 5 days ago

The imminent closure of a fruit processing plant in St. Davids will leave nearly a dozen Chatham-Kent farmers without a market for their peaches and pears.

"It will leave me with little choice but to rip out my 17 acres of processing peach trees," veteran Cedar Springs farmer John McGuigan said Friday.

The owner of McGuigan Orchards said growers were informed a few weeks ago that the CanGro Fruit Canning Plant in St. Davids, near St. Catharines, will close March 31.

Both the company's St. Davids facility and another in Exeter are scheduled for closure unless a buyer is found. "That's highly unlikely," said McGuigan. "It's cheaper for processors to import peaches from China and Greece than it is to grow them here."

McGuigan said the plant closure would remove any market for clingstone peaches or peaches grown specifically for the processing industry. (more...)

It amazes me that a company one would hope is looking towards its future growth, etc., would make such a stupid move. Have they not been listening to Ontario consumers? Even our mainstream media have noticed something may be wrong with the food system. In a time when consumers are clamoring for "local" products it is insane, that Ontario's only remaining peach processing plants should be closing!!!

I don't want to purchase canned peaches from some other country!!! If the big food retailers in Ontario can't supply me with Ontario canned peaches, I may have to dust off the canning jars. I can guaranty a lot of other people will be trying to do the same thing too.

Are our local food supplys secure? If all the major food chains go looking for a 'local' supply, I am convinced that many people will be shocked at the state of affairs out there.

Any sovereign state/county/province wanting to safeguard it's citizens, MUST look at these situations in a different way than in the past.

Maybe it is time our provincial government started to take a hard look at what is going on out there.

Storm clouds gather again!

Well, I guess we all have our answer about what the current federal government's next move would be , after the courts over-ruled their actions against the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TABLES AMENDMENTS TO THE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD ACT TO ENSURE BARLEY MARKETING FREEDOM

OTTAWA, Ontario, March 3, 2008

The Government of Canada today introduced amendments to the Canadian Wheat Board Act that would clear the way for barley marketing freedom and introduce a requirement respecting commercial dispute resolution. The announcement was made by the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board. (more)

The continued soap opera from Ottawa has hit a new low. The issue of this legislation coming to Parliament puts to rest the fairy tale that they might just be putting on a show for their constituents over election promises.

They obviously will go to just about any lengths to get what they want. Oh, and if they make this one a non confidence motion everyone on the good guy's side will have some very hard thinking to do. When I suggested this scenario in an earlier post, I NEVER believed it could come to this.

Is it time NOW for the opposition to put this government out of it's misery? Because of course, if the legislation passes, the death throws of the Wheat Board struggle will be next.

I don't think agriculture can let that happen. Farm organizations and their allies better think about this one very, very hard. There are very few options left out there for agriculture and it would be a mistake of enormous proportions to let others destroy something that has worked so well for so long.

Just how many political friends does agriculture have left and does it even have the guts to take this one to the wall?

Somebody must really have a lot to gain on this one. My vote is for the big guns ADM and Cargill.

For a minority government to continue to flaunt it's disregard for the courts, the industry, the economy and what producers' want, reminds you of an arrogant bully, who is so convinced he is 'right' , he will do anything, anything, to get his way.

Because, of course, the rest of us are too stupid to really know what is good for us.

Meanwhile, Canada's wiggle room to salvage anybody or save anything has craftily and carefully been removed.

PM gradually 'tightening the screws' on gov't: ex-advisor
By Alexander Panetta, THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA - Perhaps the most significant act of the Harper government is being conducted so slowly, steadily, and silently that it has raised barely a whisper of public debate. (more)

I think I feel a very cold, cold wind blowing over us all. - CG