Producers concerned about the unit transfers are hoping for a little more help from the Manitoba Beef Producers.
“It’s a complicated question and the board has really struggled with both sides of the story,” MBP general manager Brian Lemon said. “I think we’re waiting for a proposal from the province to say whether or not unit transfers are going to be affected by this. We recognize, certainly, that unit transfers are critical to try and grow the industry in some of those remote areas where Crown land is a big part of some of those operations and we certainly don’t want to see the province do anything that’s going to negatively impact the ability for producers to move into those regions and actually be viable.”
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Unit transfers and Crown land leases have been frozen, pending review, since late last year.
Former MBP president Ben Fox and Dale Mhyre of Crane River both stood up at the Manitoba Beef Producers annual general meeting in early February, asking the group to lobby government to end the freeze as soon as possible.
“The suspension that’s been invoked here ever since October has severely impacted producers who were in the midst of trying to market their ranches,” Fox said.
The resolution got unanimous support.
The province has said it is currently reviewing both the unit transfer system and Crown land lease allocations in general. The province hopes to have that review complete by summer.
