Culling Swine in Ontario
Letter to the Editor, The Toronto Star:
In response to the article of April 24, 2008: Meat Prices Rising with Grain
In light of increasing food costs perhaps Mr. McCain, Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Pork Council can explain to the Canadians who will be bearing the higher cost of food in the very near future why they have engaged in a program to reduce the breeding swine in Canada.
The program, called the 'Cull Breeding Swine Program' states as one of it's purposes, to "assist Hog Producers to address the current market situation of low hog prices, higher feed grain costs and a stronger Canadian dollar by helping to return the industry to a competitive position".
Simply put, this program proposes to pay farmers $225 for each breeding swine that is slaughtered and disposed of, but is not sold for human commercial consumption.
If I understand this correctly, as this is a government sponsored program, it is tax dollars that will be used to compensate the farmers for removing breeding stock and reducing the supply of pork to Canadian consumers thereby raising cost of pork to the taxpayers. The same organizations supporting this program currently underway, are in the news today discussing the imminent increase in food prices.
Surely in a world where we are predicting that millions will die from starvation this is not a program that should even be considered.
Our Canadian farmers are suffering as much or more than any of us from rising fuel costs, rising fertilizer costs and rising costs of living in general. I am positive more suitable programs can be tabled to assist the farmers and at the same time protect Canadian consumers.
A PDF of this program can be found on the Ontario Pork website at www.ontariopork.ca. It is listed under "What's New" and is dated April 9, 2008.
I wrote this letter last night / this morning around midnight. The Toronto Star article I am referencing is here.
The PDF with the details of this obscene program is here.
I've been thinking for some time now that our world is going crazy ... well going crazier than ever before. I had the opportunity to listen to Stephen Lewis talk to us on Earth Day this week and though nothing he said surprised me, the way he said it was so vivid that it frightened me.
It is time for us all to stop talking and start acting.
In response to the article of April 24, 2008: Meat Prices Rising with Grain
In light of increasing food costs perhaps Mr. McCain, Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Pork Council can explain to the Canadians who will be bearing the higher cost of food in the very near future why they have engaged in a program to reduce the breeding swine in Canada.
The program, called the 'Cull Breeding Swine Program' states as one of it's purposes, to "assist Hog Producers to address the current market situation of low hog prices, higher feed grain costs and a stronger Canadian dollar by helping to return the industry to a competitive position".
Simply put, this program proposes to pay farmers $225 for each breeding swine that is slaughtered and disposed of, but is not sold for human commercial consumption.
If I understand this correctly, as this is a government sponsored program, it is tax dollars that will be used to compensate the farmers for removing breeding stock and reducing the supply of pork to Canadian consumers thereby raising cost of pork to the taxpayers. The same organizations supporting this program currently underway, are in the news today discussing the imminent increase in food prices.
Surely in a world where we are predicting that millions will die from starvation this is not a program that should even be considered.
Our Canadian farmers are suffering as much or more than any of us from rising fuel costs, rising fertilizer costs and rising costs of living in general. I am positive more suitable programs can be tabled to assist the farmers and at the same time protect Canadian consumers.
A PDF of this program can be found on the Ontario Pork website at www.ontariopork.ca. It is listed under "What's New" and is dated April 9, 2008.
I wrote this letter last night / this morning around midnight. The Toronto Star article I am referencing is here.
The PDF with the details of this obscene program is here.
I've been thinking for some time now that our world is going crazy ... well going crazier than ever before. I had the opportunity to listen to Stephen Lewis talk to us on Earth Day this week and though nothing he said surprised me, the way he said it was so vivid that it frightened me.
It is time for us all to stop talking and start acting.
- Be informed.
- Take a stand.
- Write a letter to the newspaper.
- Write a letter to your MP.
- There's an election coming soon ... get involved.
Labels: environment
posted by CFUW Stratford at 12:40 AM
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