APAS commends Saskatchewan government for livestock relief while offering unique solution to ‘sanction stalemate’.
March 3, 2009
(Regina) The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) responded today to last week’s announcement by Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture Bob Bjornerud’s pledging $71 million to the province’s livestock sector.
APAS President, Greg Marshall, was optimistic in response to last week’s injection of provincial dollars to help Saskatchewan’s struggling hog and cattle producers. “The eternal optimism of spring seems to be in the air again in Saskatchewan,” Marshall said. “Over the past ten days, we have seen positive announcements by our Provincial Government regarding Crop Insurance and now a much-needed support payment for the livestock sector.”
“I am doubly encouraged by the fact that both levels of government have finally acknowledged the depth of the crisis and agreed on the pressing need for action. They still differ on the means of support but at least they both have come to fully understand the problem. What disappoints all of us in the province is that Minister Ritz has offered no tangible options to reverse the current exodus of livestock producers.” Marshall continued.
On February 18, APAS sent a “Wish List for Agriculture” to Minister Bjornerud and Premier Wall for consideration during preparation of the provincial budget. Included in the wish list was a call for a sufficient payment to the province’s livestock producers to encourage producers to retain livestock, forage, and grasslands. In today’s economic environment where grain production is profitable and raising livestock isn’t, many farmers are tempted to open up marginal land to cultivation.
“We certainly recognize and understand the concerns being raised in our neighboring provinces by some industry groups and Minister Ritz regarding possible trade-related sanctions.” Continued Marshall. “This is why we have and continue to call for an ecological or “grass’ payment that would be trade-compliant and designed to provide for a longer term solution to the current crisis.”
APAS and other farm organizations have been actively lobbying both the federal and provincial governments since last year to develop a long-lasting and workable solution to the ongoing crisis in the sector. Last year, APAS commissioned and released a detailed study of the crisis facing the Province’s cow-calf operators. Four key policy options included in the report were adopted as APAS policy by members at the organization’s recent AGM; including a call for an immediate ecological payment to livestock producers calculated on a ‘per acre’ or productivity basis. APAS is confident that these types of support programs would avoid possible trade action against Canadian beef producers. (A complete copy of the report is available by following the Policy link at www.apas.ca)
APAS is Saskatchewan’s general farm organization formed to provide farmers and ranchers with a democratically elected, grassroots, non-partisan, producer organization based on rural municipal boundaries. As the voice of every agricultural producer in Saskatchewan, APAS represents the views of all agricultural stakeholders in order to form comprehensive policies that benefit all sectors of agriculture.
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For more information:
Greg Marshall, President
Tel: (306) 789-7774 (ext 2)
Cell: (306)746-7747
or
Nial Kuyek, General Manager
Tel: (306) 789-7774 (ext 1)
Cell: (306) 531-7854