AR-News: (CA) Packers holding gun to the head of cattlemen’s group

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

07.01.04
Cargill and Tyson Foods, which together control 74  per cent of the beef 
packing capacity in western Canada, are using  their economic clout to dictate 
policy to the Alberta Beef Producers  (ABP). 
Jan Slomp, co-ordinator of the National Farmers Union  (NFU) in Alberta, says 
it has become increasingly difficult for  the board of directors of ABP to 
take any decision that goes against the  interests of these two American-owned 
corporate giants.  “Individual feedlot owners get penalized the moment they 
take a position  the packers don’t agree with,” stated Slomp. “The ABP is 
supposed to be  representing cattle producers, but obviously it’s hard for the ABP 
board  to function with a gun to the head.” 
Slomp called on ABP board members  who are in those “under the gun” 
situations to vacate their position on  the board to make room for truly independent 
producers that can openly  express themselves in the interests of fellow 
producers. 
Slomp pointed  out that any cattle producer or feedlot owner who attempts to 
institute  changes to the way the current cattle marketing system operates 
does so at  the risk of being shut out of the market. He said it is appalling 
that  governments allow Banana Republic-style corporate bullying tactics to  
erode freedom and democracy.  
“The packers own huge numbers of  cattle on feed in various custom feedlots 
around the country,” he said.  “There is no law in Canada controlling packer 
ownership. This ready supply  of captive feeders then allow the packers to bid 
low—or even not buy at  all—from private custom feedlots. The private 
operators are so dependent  on the packers they are reluctant to challenge them or 
say anything that  might rock the boat.” 
While the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)  crisis triggered a meltdown 
in cattle prices over the past year, the  overall profit margin on cattle 
production has been falling for the last  decade. “Ten years ago, the accepted 
net return on the average beef cow in  western Canada was $175 to $200,” said 
Slomp. “The last two years prior to  the BSE crisis, the accepted net return on 
the average beef cow was in the  west was between $50 and $125. We’ve been 
producing more cattle simply to  make up in volume what we’ve lost in price. That’
s been good for the  packers, who get a steady supply of cheap animals, but 
bad for the farmers  who face increased operating costs and lower returns.”  



full  story:
_http://www.communitypress-online.com/template.php?id=15568&RECORD_KEY(Ag)=id&
id(Ag)=15568_ 
(http://www.communitypress-online.com/template.php?id=15568&RECORD_KEY(Ag)=id&id(Ag)=15568)  



~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~
"Look deep into the eyes of any animal, and then  for a moment, trade places, 
their life becomes as precious as yours and you  become as vulnerable as 
them. Now smile if you believe all animals deserve our  respect and our 
protection, for in a way, they are us, and we are them."  -
Philip Ochoa Board Member, ALL FOR ANIMALS 
/\  /\ 
>' .' <




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/attachments/20040701/3b769258/attachment.html