Dear Editor;
Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) have been very vocal in recent months demonstrating their opposition to the Alberta Livestock and Meat Strategy (ALMS) announced by Agriculture Minister Groeneveld in June. ABP are claiming to be the champions of cow/calf producer interests so perhaps with the Annual Fall Producer meetings of ABP just around the corner it would be worth reviewing their performance over the last year.
As producers sold their calves last fall into the worst market (adjusted for inflation) since the great depression ABP handed out a leaflet telling cow/calf producers that they were lucky the feedlots were prepared to offer them such high prices! When the ABP Annual General Meeting in Calgary came around in December it was further demonstrated how low the interests of cow/calf producers were on the ABP agenda. Once again two producer resolutions calling for a ban on packer ownership of cattle and a further resolution to allow BSE testing were roundly defeated.
Beginning in November, due to the crisis facing producers, Minister Groeneveld convened a working group of representatives from the ABP, Western Stockgrowers Association, Beef Initiative Group, Alberta Cattle Feeders Association and the Feeders Associations of Alberta. This working group was known as the B5 group although in reality it was the B4 group because the ABP’s sole contribution appeared to be stalling and opposing any progress the group tried to make. I understand this even included failing to attend some of the meetings, which I feel, is disgraceful given that the ABP representatives would be the only participants that were being paid for their time by producer check off dollars. Despite the ABP’s opposition the Canada Gold Beef initiative was born out of this working group of four independently funded producer groups and can perhaps serve as a model of what can be achieved by producers with the cooperation of government.
It is clear from the performance record outlined above that ABP has not represented the interests of primary beef producers and I would suggest that the ABP’s opposition to the ALMS is more a campaign of distraction to avert producer calls for better representation and a change to the current levy distribution.
The ABP remains an organization with its head stuck in the sand on beef policy. They continue to deny that corporate concentration in the packing sector is a problem, one which will be compounded by the proposed takeover of Tyson’s Brooks plant by the Nilsson group. They continue to cite the American market as the only one worth pursuing despite the fact we are constantly losing ground in our ability to compete in that market due to higher feed grain costs in Canada and a higher Canadian dollar. In addition the severe financial difficulties being faced by the United States will likely see them adopt a more protectionist stance and an early indication of that is the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulations, which will further disadvantage Canadian exporters.
I hope that producers will reflect on these issues and make the effort to attend their local Fall Producer Meeting this year. ABP will no doubt be setting the agendas so that most of the evening will be spend fanning the flames of opposition to the ALMS; I hope producers will not be fooled by this diversionary tactic. Instead I would ask that producers consider raising the following resolution at every ABP Fall producer meeting in the province. “Be it resolved that the levy currently collected and used to fund ABP become a directional levy whereby producers can allocate it to the producer organization of their choice”. Time spent bemoaning the introduction of the ALMS is time wasted - the ALMS will be introduced and producers interests are currently being better served by organizations like the Western Stockgrowers Association, Beef Initiative Group, Alberta Cattle Feeders Association, Feeders Associations of Alberta and the National Farmers Union who have all pledged to work with the Minister and have a hand in developing and implementing the ALMS.
Iain Aitken
Rimbey, AB