Short Takes: August/September 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Rain, finally, in the land of Oz
Australian farmers finally got some rain this spring, ending a seven year drought, and are planting one of the country-continent's biggest wheat crops ever. The New York Times and Reuters news agency report that farmers still have their fingers crossed. They are looking for a 200 million tonne crop but will only get it if timely rains arrive in their spring, September.
Last year, early season rains petered out, and millions of dollars that optimistic farmers invested in seed and fertilizer went to waste. Australia's crop failure has been linked to the runup in wheat prices in North America. BF
Cities no place for hens
Citing precedents in Niagara Falls and Victoria, B.C., Toronto and Waterloo residents want municipal bylaws changed so that they can raise hens for egg laying.
But commercial farmers are not fans. Allowing chickens in urban backyards is "stupidity in the extreme," says Ontario Livestock and Poultry Council spokesperson Deborah Whale of Alma.
"The reason that we have severe avian influenza (AI) problems throughout Southeast Asia is because of the very close proximity of human beings and poultry and wild birds," she notes.
Egg Farmers of Ontario is also concerned, but regulations enable people to produce eggs from up to 100 hens without quota, says general manager Harry Pelissero.
In spite of Whale's concerns, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs doesn't have an official position on chickens being kept in cities, says poultry specialist Al Dam.
There is the potential for chickens to get AI from wild birds, says Babak Sanei, a provincial poultry veterinarian.
People can limit exposure to wild birds, Dam says, adding that the ministry has a biosecurity management kit for non-commercial poultry producers.
Even so, this movement bothers Whale. "All of a sudden in Canada, we want to return to having chickens clucking around in people's backyards, wild birds flying overhead dropping AI-infected feces on them and people going out with their little kids collecting eggs in the backyard. Now does this make any sense?" BF
Markham first community to mandate local food
Markham, northeast of Toronto, has become the first municipality in Canada to sign up with Local Food Plus (LFP) and commit to buying a percentage of food used in its cafeteria and town-sponsored events from local, sustainable farms.
"They've set a bar for all other municipalities," says Lori Stahlbrand, president of LFP, a non-profit organization certifying farmers and processors and linking them with local buyers.
The local food is available in Markham's civic centre office cafeteria for employees and visitors and at municipally-sponsored events. The town of 300,000 people has 800 to 1,000 part-time and 700 to 800 full-time personnel.
In the first year, the town committed to buy 10 per cent of its food purchases from LFP-certified operations. That figure increases by five per cent each year of the five-year contract.
"I just thought it was a great opportunity to make a huge difference through our buying power as a municipal government," says Markham councillor Erin Shapero.
Being "local" isn't enough to get on the LFP program. Farmers must meet standards to be accepted and pay a $100 fee. The standards are designed "to describe a different level of farm performance than occurs in conventional food production," says the LFP website. Farmers must use sustainable production systems which reduce or eliminate synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, avoid using hormones, antibiotics and genetic engineering, plus conserve soil and water. BF
'Discretionary spending' takes a hit
In June, we reported that the boss of Starbucks in Quebec was unhappy because the high cost of milk was dragging profits down. Now it seems that Starbucks everywhere is in trouble as sales and profits fall. The Associated Press in the United States refers to the 'Latte Effect.' Consumers are turning away from expensive discretionary spending, such as $4 cups of coffee, as rising food and fuel costs ratchet up inflation and consumers think about putting money in their savings account.
How far this trend will go is uncertain. In a web broadcast, retail food consultant Jim Hertel predicts a trend to eating at home from restaurant eating, and a shift to cheaper private brands. Consumers will "trade down," buying cheaper cuts of meat, turning
to lower grade beef and choosing the cheaper of pork or chicken.
"Functional foods," with special health characteristics, and organic foods will take a hit, he predicts. BF
Round one to Mayor Travale
Norfolk County Mayor Dennis Travale is taking on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) for a policy that affects new driveways.
When the ministry's London branch took Lynnville asparagus grower Charles Emre and his neighbours to task for posting signs advertising Emre's asparagus on a property adjacent to Highway 24, Travale decided to take action.
The highway is one of three that runs through Norfolk County.
The Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act prohibits signs on private property within 400 metres of a provincial highway without a permit.
Travale argued with ministry officials that the policy undermines provincial efforts to promote locally-grown foods. To enforce such a policy in an area whose economy was already struggling from the rapid decline of the tobacco crop only rubs salt into the wound. "How are we to resurrect our economy?" he asks. "Through an enforcement act of this type, you're attacking the farm industry."
In June, the ministry proposed a moratorium on signs promoting seasonal agricultural produce. But for Travale, that's just the beginning.
He says that a long-standing access restriction on Highway 3, which also runs through the county, only allows new driveways to be substituted for the closure of older driveways. For one farmer whose operation borders the highway, the provision has meant the rejection of a building permit application to establish a roadside fruit stand; for a greenhouse operator, it involved having to buy an adjacent property for its driveway access.
Travale says that he's planning on driving the issue home with MTO officials at August's annual meeting of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. BF
KFC caves in to PETA
What's next? That's the response of the Ontario Farm Animal Council's Crystal Mackay to a deal that KFC Canada has inked with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). KFC Canada agreed to phase in a requirement for suppliers to use controlled-atmosphere technology to slaughter chickens. The deal, signed in May, calls for gassing to be phased in over eight years. In exchange, PETA agrees to end the Canadian portion of the "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" boycott campaign it has been waging against the fast food company worldwide since 2003.
The company also pledged to improve its animal welfare audit criteria and urge producers to improve lighting, lower stocking density and ammonia levels, and phase out growth-promoting drugs and breeding practices which might injure the birds. As well, Priszm Income Fund, which owns 461 of KFC Canada's more than 750 outlets, will introduce a vegan faux-chicken item to their menu.
"PETA's end goal is for people to become vegetarian," Mackay says. Consequently, the group will likely return with more demands. "It's a fairly short-term approach – if it follows the same path that they (PETA) have done with other food retailers." BF