OTTAWA - While Peterborough cattlemen’s risk management plan for the beef sector may have merit and may see consideration across the province, it’s still got an uphill climb to gain acceptance if it’s to become policy.
"It’s not at all consistent with the policies at a national basis that we are trying to pursue," John Masswohl, CCA’s director of industry relations said in an interview with the AgriNews.
He spoke at the annual meeting of the Peterborough group in January and has since studied the plan.
"We’ve proposed changes to agri-stability to make it more responsive to cattle producers. Cattle have more ups and downs in their cycles and we think cattle producers shouldn’t have to choose the Olympic average over the last three years," says Masswohl.
If the viability test is two years or you’re out, "that would kick a lot of producers out. That is not responsive to the cattle industry."
But more important is the message and its consistency, says Masswohl.
"We’ve been advocating these things carefully and we’ve been advancing that for more than a year. Now these things are on the table," and CCA is trying to encourage the provinces and feds to agree.
"The fed/prov process is a big shift in how you lobby... It’s not helpful to say the hell with it, let’s go to something else."
"If the politicians hear 10 different messages, then they do nothing," said Masswohl.
"There are a dozen other proposals," he said, in counties across the country.
"We’re advocating the one... that has been debated and democratically passed."
From the Archives:
News, April 2009
