Oldtimer
Well-known member
No wonder the cattle market is going in the dumps- double the average amount imported 
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Cattle Producers Urge Ottawa to Step Up with Programs to Ensure the Survival of Canadian Farmers
Ian McKillop - Ontario Cattlemen's Association
Farmscape for April 25, 2006 (Episode 2122)
Canadian cattle producers are urging Ottawa to step up with programs that will ensure the survival of Canadian farmers until long term solutions to the global farm income crisis can be developed.
Last week a trade dispute over unprocessed grain corn imported from the US ended when the Canadian International Trade Tribunal ruled the imports do not threaten to the Canadian corn industry.
Ian McKillop, president of the Ontario Cattlemen's Association and a director on the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, says, while it's difficult to be certain of the full impact of provisional duties in place since mid-December, they did create a great deal of uncertainty.
We have seen an increase in the number of feeder cattle that are being exported to the US over the last several months and some of that may be based upon the uncertainty related to the corn countervail issue but we are currently exporting about 9,000 head of feeder cattle per week out of Canada to the US and that compares to about 4,300 per week during our last normal five year average prior to BSE so our feeder imports are up.
Again I can't really say how much of that is related to the corn countervail but that was our concern with corn countervail, it would drive our input costs compared to the US cost of production and it would make our feeder cattle much more attractive to the US buyer and, with a duty in place, we could potentially see the flow of more cattle to the states.
McKillop agrees Canadian corn producers are suffering from low commodity prices, as are other sectors of agriculture.
He suggests reduction of international subsidies through the World Trade Organization is the place to start but he admits that process could take some time.
In the absence of that happening quickly, he maintains, it's imperative that government step forward to ensure Canadian producers operate on a level playing field with their foreign competitors.
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Cattle Producers Urge Ottawa to Step Up with Programs to Ensure the Survival of Canadian Farmers
Ian McKillop - Ontario Cattlemen's Association
Farmscape for April 25, 2006 (Episode 2122)
Canadian cattle producers are urging Ottawa to step up with programs that will ensure the survival of Canadian farmers until long term solutions to the global farm income crisis can be developed.
Last week a trade dispute over unprocessed grain corn imported from the US ended when the Canadian International Trade Tribunal ruled the imports do not threaten to the Canadian corn industry.
Ian McKillop, president of the Ontario Cattlemen's Association and a director on the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, says, while it's difficult to be certain of the full impact of provisional duties in place since mid-December, they did create a great deal of uncertainty.
We have seen an increase in the number of feeder cattle that are being exported to the US over the last several months and some of that may be based upon the uncertainty related to the corn countervail issue but we are currently exporting about 9,000 head of feeder cattle per week out of Canada to the US and that compares to about 4,300 per week during our last normal five year average prior to BSE so our feeder imports are up.
Again I can't really say how much of that is related to the corn countervail but that was our concern with corn countervail, it would drive our input costs compared to the US cost of production and it would make our feeder cattle much more attractive to the US buyer and, with a duty in place, we could potentially see the flow of more cattle to the states.
McKillop agrees Canadian corn producers are suffering from low commodity prices, as are other sectors of agriculture.
He suggests reduction of international subsidies through the World Trade Organization is the place to start but he admits that process could take some time.
In the absence of that happening quickly, he maintains, it's imperative that government step forward to ensure Canadian producers operate on a level playing field with their foreign competitors.
