Regarding the story “All producers have a role in welfare image,” in the Feb. 17Manitoba Co-operator,I agree with the succinct differentiation provided by the executive director of the Ontario Farm Animal Council, Crystal MacKay. This is exactly the message that I have been trying to get across.
All animal activists have been painted with the same brush by industry including the insistence that all “they” want is to put “us” out of business and that is just not the case. With so many more people concerned about animal welfare today, it is even more important to understand the distinction, and there is definitely a distinction.
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An animal rights activist does believe that no one has the right to use animals in any way. An animal welfare activist believes that while animals can be used for food, they should live and be killed in a humane way, or as Temple Grandin says “treated with respect” and not simply as a product.
MacKay goes on to say that animal welfare activists understand that animal production has a place in society, but should use humane practices; they are willing to work with farmers instead of against them. My subscription to theCo-operator is but one effort on my part to understand the producer side of things, but the same effort at understanding has not been forthcoming from producers, at least not that I have seen.
Instead welfarists are labelled as asking for change on a purely emotional basis. As recently as the Jan. 27 edition there was a quote in a story titled “Pork seminar offers tips for success” as follows: “It’s important to learn from the activist rhetoric and then put facts to work on an emotional level with consumers to tell your story more effectively.” Really.
I certainly hope that the excellent article in the Feb. 17 edition of this paper will give producers cause to reassess their thinking. Perhaps they will realize that we are not out to get them. We simply want changes and would welcome any opportunity to do what we can to assist in this process.
Leslie Yeoman, Co-founder, The Humane Education
Network, Winnipeg, Man.
At the joint cabinet meeting Saskatchewan’s deputy premier, Ken Krawetz, noted discussions with Manitoba on upgrading the power grid have been going well. “We have some very significant growth taking place and we have energy needs that are going to continue to grow. We need to ensure that we put in place that energy supply in Saskatchewan. And if it involves being able to strike a deal with Manitoba to ensure that good, clean, reliable source of hydro power can be obtained by Manitoba, we are willing to explore that,” he said.
Manitoba has the potential to produce a lot of renewable hydro-electric power in the North and the decision to build the Bipole III transmission line down the west side of the province instead of the east brings us that much closer to the Saskatchewan market.
Manitobans can be proud of the progress that our two provinces are making on this important file. This is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship for the future.
Rosann Wowchuk, Minister Responsible for Manitoba Hydro
Pawich must have missed entering some adjustment payments because his final price should be within a few cents of $5 per bushel. This year will be another good year for wheat prices as long as the wheat is left in the pool account with the Canadian Wheat Board, as was the case in 2007.
Also the cost Pawich has of $160 per acre is very low, about half of my cash cost so the margin might not be out of line when all returns and costs are calculated. Bottom line, it costs more to grow a crop than the crop will return over a 10-year period, no buts, ifs or maybes.
G.A. Rempel Elm Creek, Man. begin in the next six to seven weeks. It is far from “… three years away.”
As the article noted, the aim of Bill C-619 is to provide western wheat and barley farmers with the right to opt out of the Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing program, and market their crops themselves. I introduced this bill because I believe that regardless of where farmers grow wheat and barley in Canada, they should have the same freedom to market their grain.
I recognize that many western farmers prefer to market through the CWB. The bill takes no issue with the merits of either choice; it simply gives the farmers the right to make that choice. This is a matter of principle and fairness for farmers.
I look forward to having a fulsome debate on the issue of providing marketing choice for western wheat and barley farmers in the weeks and months ahead, and I welcome the comments and input ofManitoba Co-operator’sreaders. Bruce Stanton, MP
Simcoe North
Please forward letters to Manitoba Co-operator, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, R3H 0H1 or Fax: 204-954-1422 or email: [email protected] (subject: To the editor)
