October 2003
Behind The Lines
Rarely has the financial future looked as ominous for Ontario's agriculture as it does today.
That's why this month's cover story by Susan Mann on the growing phenomenon of farmers taking off-farm work is particularly appropriate. The importance of off-farm work to support the family and perhaps even the farm itself has been making itself felt for some time.
- The future of the province's beef industry hangs on a cliff edge because of the BSE scare and a border closed to live cattle sales.
- A trade-dependent pork industry faces a possibly crippling threat from the United States next year because of Country of Origin Labelling.
- After years of trying to get better support systems from federal and provincial governments, grain and oilseeds farmers seem to be no further ahead and, in fact, may be slipping.
Some rural economists argue that off-farm labour to supplement the farm's income is nothing new and that perhaps full-time farming is the aberration from the norm. Before the Second World War, the farmer's wife sold eggs at the farm gate and maybe killed a chicken or two to sell as well. Now she works the till at the checkout counter in the grocery store.
In the 1920s, when Canada's economy was still resource-based, farmers may have dried off the cows in the fall and worked in logging camps for the winter. Now they work year-round at the auto parts plant or perhaps at seasonal construction jobs.
This month in Better Farming, we publish our annual special report on the environment, including our yearly report on spills and bypasses from municipal sewage treatment facilities.
In 2000, when we published our first such report, the response from readers was overwhelming. In that early stage of investigation into the Walkerton water tragedy, the finger was pointed straight at farmers as the source of virtually all pollution in our rivers, streams and lakes. After we published our municipal plant sewage and bypass report, we were swamped with telephone calls and letters from our livestock-producing readers, who poured their hearts out because they felt ostracized in their communities.
The response to this report every year remains strong. Animal agriculture's environmental critics continue to attack farmers. We can nearly all do better and accidents continue to happen and are often widely reported. However, it is hard to fight back against untruths and innuendo, and we know from readers' responses that the information we gather and report in these pages is useful in putting the accidental manure spills on farms into their proper perspective.
The environmental issue will continue in the background, even as the ban on beef trade continues and it appears that Country of Origin Labelling in the United States poses another trade challenge next year. It is that much more imperative that environmental issues be handled carefully as livestock farmers seek public support for their industry during these very challenging times.
ROBERT IRWIN & DON STONEMAN
In Quotes "I tell people I bought the farm but I inherited the problems"
-- Beef farmer Dave Spencer; on the farm he took over near Guelph.© copyright 2003 AgMedia Inc..
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MAKING ENDS MEET:
Close to half of all farm operators rely on at least some income from off-farm work. What's driving this phenomenon? Low agricultural prices? Canada's cheap food policy? Foreign competition and subsidization abroad? And is it here to stay?The growing dependence on off-farm income
by SUSAN MANN
You're more likely to find cash cropper Ed Lee installing dry wall in southwestern Ontario than to see him planting and harvesting his corn, soybeans and wheat. That's because these days his off-farm job takes up more time than his farming.Fourteen years ago, Lee, who is president of the Middlesex Federation of Agriculture, began working as a self-employed subcontractor for the company operated by his brother, Randy.
It was meant to be a temporary job because he needed the income. But today he installs dry wall in a wide area around London, including Stratford, Mitchell and Grand Bend. About half his income comes from his 125-acre farm located north east of London and the rest from the dry wall job. He figures that when he pays his farm debts he'd be able to give up the off-farm job and still make a living. But he wouldn't be able to afford to expand.
To make his two jobs work, Lee uses custom operators for his farming. He also borrows or rents equipment. "If I used the equipment I could afford, I'd be out there for a couple of weeks doing it myself, whereas I could hire equipment and operators to do it in four hours."
Working with his brother enables Lee to take the time he needs to do farming. "When I started, the agreement was that if I needed time off to farm, I could go."
Ed Lee is one of a growing number of farm operators who depend on off-farm jobs for survival. In Statistics Canada's Census of Agriculture, a farm operator is defined as the person who makes the day-to-day management decisions on the farm. In 1996, 118,205 of the 385,610 farm operators in Canada reported earning off-farm income. In 2001, that figure had risen to 154,215 out of 346,195 farm operators. But it isn't always the farm operator who has the off-farm job. Often, a spouse will contribute income by working outside. Lee says that when you take into account the number of farms and not just the operators on the farm who report some form of off-farm income, the percentage is much higher than just the farm operator numbers. "What other industry or occupation has to take a second job to support the first one?" he asks.
So why do farmers resort to off-farm jobs? Many producers have them to pay for their families' living expenses and to get the cash to tide the farm over until harvest, Lee explains. "Sometimes, the off-farm income is used to buy feed and fuel and pay for equipment. So it's actually supporting the farm business."
In examining the reasons for off-farm work, the first point to keep in mind is that there's no such thing as a typical farm, says Prof. George Brinkman of the University of Guelph's department of agricultural economics and business. "Some people have off-farm jobs because that's what they really want to do and they want the farm as a recreational component. Others have off-farm jobs because they can't make it on the farm."
About 30 per cent of Ontario's farm operations are considered hobby farms with $20,000 to $30,000 in annual gross farm sales. Another 40 per cent are small farms that depend on both farming and off-farm jobs for income. Those operations have annual gross farm sales of $30,000 to $100,000. "They typically depend very heavily on both sources of income," says Brinkman. They just don't have the size to rely primarily on income from agriculture. The third group is commercial farmers with annual gross farm sales of $100,000 and more. Commercial farmers depend mostly on farming for their livelihood, but they may have spouses who report off-farm incomes.
Juggling farm and job
Low agricultural prices are one of the factors driving off-farm work. Even though livestock farmers have done better than grain farmers, there have been tremendous up and down price cycles in livestock farming. "These cycles sometimes force farmers to resort to off-farm work to keep their families," Brinkman says. "That pressure has intensified from 1996 to 2001.""I think what we're seeing is just a reflection of the fact that farmers aren't making enough income (from) the farm to keep things going," says Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) president Ron Bonnett. "Farm incomes as a general rule have fallen over a number of years."
Bonnett, who used to have a dairy farm until 1995, says he's gained a new appreciation for the juggling farmers with outside jobs have to do since he became OFA president. While he had his dairy farm, Bonnett says he didn't have an off-farm job.
Now, when his duties as president take him away from the farm, his wife Cathy handles the day-to-day chores and animals on their cow-calf operation 40 miles east of Sault Ste. Marie. "The biggest problem is if something goes wrong and I'm away." Then, he and his wife must rely on neighbours for help.
Bonnett, who spends much of his time during the week on OFA business, catches up on farming chores on the weekends. "The frustration for people who work at off-farm jobs is that at times they see stuff falling behind at home because they don't have the time to put into it."
Robert A. Johnston, president of the Renfrew Federation of Agriculture, says he simply couldn't live on his farming income alone. He makes about 25 to 30 per cent of his income from his hay and wheat crops, while 20 per cent comes from sources such as his position on Horton Township council and 50 per cent is income from leasing lots in the mobile home park he owns. He has 180 acres of owned and rented land in Renfrew County in Eastern Ontario.
In his corner of Ontario, there are few farmers who earn all of their income from farming. "In Horton Township, there are probably only three or four farmers in the whole township who are living off their farm income," he says, adding that there are about 75 farmers in the township.
Johnston can recall that when he farmed grains in the late 1980s, he wasn't getting any more money for them than his father did in 1960. "How is anybody going to make a living on a farm when there's no money in the commodities?"
Like Johnston, Jean-Luc Mainville also depends on off-farm work to make a living. For the past 22 years, he has worked as a sales representative for equipment manufacturer John Deere in addition to running a cow-calf operation on his 270-acre farm near Curran in Prescott County.
Mainville estimates that normally 60 to 65 per cent of his income comes from his outside job, but that number is more like 100 per cent now because of BSE. He thinks farmers should be able to earn their living just from farming. "It's not right that we need to have an extra job just to make a living. We're producing good quality beef and we're doing everything right. But even then it's not enough and we can't pay the bills."
Farmers have found unique ways to juggle their jobs and their farming. Tim Barrie and his wife Libby have 122 acres just south of Kitchener. About 35 acres is in asparagus and one acre is rhubarb. The rest of the 52 acres of workable land is rented out for hay and they also grow a small amount of market garden crops. The remaining acreage is bush.
But Tim also runs recreational programs at a young offender's facility for the provincial Ministry of Correctional Services. He takes a leave of absence from this job during May and June when it's asparagus season and also hires someone to do some of his spraying and fertilizing. "There are some days I may be at work when I need to do that."
Johnston says it helps to be well organized and to prioritize. For example, his municipal council position is a top priority because he's elected by the people. But if there's a golf tournament or some other social function related to the municipal council and he has to get his crop in, combining comes first.
Johnston says he doesn't have too much trouble doing his farming, looking after the mobile home park and serving on several boards and agencies. "I guess I'm an oddball. I like to be busy."
Tough at planting time
Dave and Mary McLaughlin both have outside jobs in addition to running an 85-acre sheep farm north of Brockville. They were planning an expansion of 100 breeding animals to their current number of 124 sheep and lambs, but the plant where Mary worked closed last year and those plans have now been put on hold for two years. The money for the expansion is being used to further Mary's education, so she can become a teacher. The idea was, and still is, to have one of them give up the outside job and work full-time on the farm.McLaughlin, who worked as a carpenter doing historic reproduction refinishing before he owned the farm, says they have been able to manage their farming around their work schedules. When Mary worked shifts at the plant, he would be doing his job during the day while she looked after the flock. Then they'd switch and McLaughlin would take care of the flock in the evening while Mary was at work.
Being self-employed helps McLaughlin juggle his off-farm and on-farm jobs. "I would say 50 per cent of my customers are farmers, so they understand if I say, 'I'm not going to be here tomorrow because I have to rake hay or because it's lambing time.'"
On the farm, their focus is managing their animals well and treating problems before they erupt into crises. "Sheep being a smaller animal, one person can usually handle that."
Still, many farmers find it hard to hold down an outside job and farm. "It's always tough around planting time," Barrie notes. "All of a sudden, it's time to get your roots and put them in the ground and then I realize I'm working (off-farm) during the next three days. Sometimes you have to do things a little differently in your farming because you have a full-time job you've got to work around."
The Barries have four children, ranging from age 12 to two, and it's hard to find family time. But, even though they're still young, the children notice when help is needed and are willing to pitch in. His mother and father, Miriam and David Barrie, also help out.
In a good year, Barrie says he can make twice as much in farming as he can from his job. But, in a bad year, he'll only make as much on the farm as he will at his job. The income from his job pays for his three biggest expenses -- the mortgage, the car and the children's education plans. "I always thought of this job as covering those three big payments, so they will always be looked after, no matter what farming does," he says.
For some farmers with outside jobs, certain chores have to go undone. Stress and burnout are ever-present dangers. In addition, many farmers say communities suffer because there aren't as many of them available for volunteer work. When farming gets put off to nights and weekends, little time is left for community group work, such as being Scout leaders or directors on fair boards. "People only have so many hours and something has to give," Lee notes.
Richard Lalonde, who has a small cow-calf operation near Hawkesbury, says he only works part-time because he couldn't hold down a full-time job and still do his farming. Combined with his wife's part-time job income, just over 50 per cent of their earnings come from off-farm sources.
Lalonde does snow removal in the winter and works part-time in the roads department for Champlain Township in the summer. He accumulates extra hours at some times of the years and uses them at haying time.
Tough times then, tough times now
Though it is on the increase, off-farm work is far from being a recent development. Tim Barrie points out that the money his father earned as school board trustee paid for the family's groceries. At times, both of Ed Lee's parents had to take off-farm jobs and his great-grandfather, who bought the farm 148 years ago, spent his first three years cutting ice on Lake Erie in the winter to help pay for the farm. But, while his great-grandfather took three years to pay for the farm, he is in his 17th year of farming and is still paying off his debts.Agriculture is a technological-oriented business, which means it grows and changes rapidly, says Brinkman. The industry has been and will continue to be in a constant state of adjustment. "People who argue that they'd like to be able to farm the way their dad did 30 years ago just won't do it." There were tough times in farming 30 years ago, just as there are now, and farmers had to take off-farm jobs to make ends meet then, too.
Many producers say it's Canada's cheap food policy and consumers' unwillingness to pay the true costs of food production that makes it tough for them to earn their living just from the farm. "It's almost an international policy of low-cost food production," OFA president Ron Bonnett says. "Regardless of what policy Canada follows, we still face other countries that subsidize food production, driving the price of food down."
That's why farmers have to push hard in the current round of world trade talks for elimination of artificial subsidization of food. The other thing farmers need now is safety net programs that work.
Will having better agricultural trade rules and improved safety net programs eliminate the need for off-farm jobs? "I'm reasonably optimistic that we're going to get some changes in the safety nets in the short term. The farmers I talk to are ready to start pushing very hard on this." Still, Bonnett thinks the need for off-farm jobs will be a reality for the future to a certain extent.
A further problem, says Barrie, is that grocery stores undercut area farmers on price. For example, all year when asparagus isn't in season in Canada, his local store sells it for $4.99 to $5.99 a pound. But, during this past season, it was on sale for $1.49 a pound at a local store even though he knows the store paid a wholesale price of $1.99 a pound for it.
He says he sold his asparagus for $2.25 a pound at his farm store and he couldn't lower the price much below that. But a truly fair price for him would have been $3 a pound.
At that price he would be able to give up his off-farm job. But the market wouldn't bear that price because of cheap imports, the effect of the Canadian dollar and store policies that say they won't be undersold on fresh local produce. Even at $2.25 a pound he was getting questions from consumers wondering why his price wasn't as low as the grocery store's.
South America a major force
But Brinkman says it isn't as simple as blaming the need for off-farm jobs on a cheap food policy in Canada or subsidization of food production abroad. "One of the things that has occurred has been the emergence of South America as a major agricultural force in the global trading environment."In North America, farmers market soybeans in trucks. The largest farmer in the world markets his soybeans in barges. His 250,000-acre farm in Brazil is organized into 1,000-acre units.
Brazil is growing to be the number one soybean exporter in the world, whereas 10 years ago the country was non-existent as a soybean exporter. "They're coming on with a huge supply and that's keeping prices depressed. It's also creating more feed grains and more protein supplements and it encourages more agricultural production of livestock. That is having an impact and keeping prices from recovering the way they would have (otherwise)," he explains. And it has put the pressure on farmers to pick up supplemental income.
Given that South America has emerged as a major food-producing region and parts of our food production system are geared to exports, it looks likely that farmers here will continue needing to take off-farm jobs to make ends meet for the foreseeable future. BF
© copyright 2003 AgMedia Inc..
Why is Quebec less dependent on off-farm work than other provinces?
by SUSAN MANN
When you look at Statistics Canada's Census of Agriculture numbers for off-farm work, two interesting facts emerge. The first thing is the greater percentage of farm operators reporting off-farm jobs in 2001 compared to 1996. The second is that Quebec has the lowest percentage of farmers with outside jobs in the country.In 1996, of the 385,610 farm operators in Canada, 118,205, or about 31 per cent, reported having off-farm jobs. Of that number, 28,005, or 23.7 per cent, said they worked less than 20 hours a week while 51,850, or 43.9 per cent, reported working 20 to 40 hours a week. A total of 38,350, or 32.4 per cent, reported working more than 40 hours a week.
In 2001, the total number of operators in Canada was 346,195 while the number reporting off-farm work was 154,215 or 45 per cent. Of that 154,215, 30,080 farm operators, or 19.5 per cent, worked less than 20 hours a week while 63,265, or 41 per cent, reported working 20 to 40 hours. There were 60,865 farm operators, or 39.5 per cent, working more than 40 hours a week.
In 1996, Ontario had 96,940 farm operators with 30,000, or 31 per cent, reporting off-farm income. For 2001, there were 85,015 farm operators with 38,000, or 45 per cent, having off-farm jobs.
Ontario's numbers are similar to those for the nation as a whole. Across Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Alberta had 48 per cent of their farm operators reporting off-farm income in 2001. Prince Edward Island's 43 per cent was similar to Ontario's, while Newfoundland had 49 per cent of its farm operators working at outside jobs and British Columbia had 53 per cent. Quebec was the lowest with just 29 per cent of its farm operators holding down off-farm jobs in 2001.
One reason the Quebec number is significantly lower than the rest of Canada is the mix of operators and the conditions that exist in the province, says the University of Guelph's Prof. George Brinkman. Quebec has a higher proportion of dairy operations than some other parts of Canada. And usually dairy farmers work full time on the farm. That's because supply management provides for more stable returns than other sectors, such as cash crops.
In addition, there is a tremendous demand on a farmer's labour in dairy. "It's an 18-hour-a-day job, seven days a week. There just isn't any time for a non-farm job," he says.
Because of supply management, dairy is one of the more viable components of agriculture. Farmers in supply-managed sectors have been able to earn "primarily a full-time income from agriculture. That has enabled farmers to focus entirely on agriculture," Brinkman notes.
A further reason why Quebec has fewer farm operators working at off-farm jobs is that its agricultural support programs have recently been stronger than in other parts of Canada, he explains. "Quebec has been sort of the leader in farm supports."
Still another reason may be that opportunities for off-farm work are better in other regions of Canada. But Brinkman says he hasn't fully studied this possibility.
"I don't know how robust the rural economy of Quebec has been, but the Ontario economy hasn't been too bad." BF
© copyright 2003 AgMedia Inc..
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L E T T E R S
An American consumer speaks out
I'm an Alberta girl, currently living in the United States. I grew up in a farming community and, as a result, I'm interested in issues that affect my farming friends. I've had some concerns about beef/livestock production in general, but the recent occurrence of mad cow disease in Alberta has prompted me to write.I read several articles on mad cow when the disease emerged in Britain. The disease is disturbing, but what I learned about animal feeding practices literally sickened me and prompted my husband and me to seek out organically produced meat.
Certified organic meat is hard to find, and butchers I've talked to in Canada say that there isn't much of a supply. Here in St Louis, we buy our meat at Whole Foods, a natural foods/organic grocery chain. Our meat may not be certified organic, but all the beef, dairy, poultry and pork products we purchase had been fed an all-vegetable diet, and are hormone and antibiotic free.
We pay a bit more for meat, milk and eggs but it is well worth it! The taste and texture are far superior to what we used to buy at the traditional chain stores here. We feel it is better for our own health, better for the environment and we feel good about supporting smaller, family-run farms (many of these producers are part of farm co-ops). I really believe that Canadian farmers should be looking at what they feed their livestock and start making the changes now. Feeding animals what they were meant to eat may soon become the norm!
I know that the practice of feeding animal proteins to other animals has already been banned in Europe and I see the organic movement strengthening down here. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency may change the regulations pertaining to the feeding of cattle parts to any other animals, but that is not enough for the ever-growing number of consumers like me.
Melodie Sept
Webster Groves, Missouri
Waste not, want not!
I hear rumours about slaughtering and destroying healthy cattle in Canada. The idea makes me sick. My handful of animals became pets and it is one thing to know they will die so others can live, but to die only to clear the market is insanity. Waste not, want not! If we waste good meat, we will live to regret it!The federal government seems to have billions of dollars to waste on gun laws and Kyoto accords and so on. How about spending some on a "kill and can" program, so we will have food when we need it?
In biblical times, when Egypt had bumper crops of corn, they did not cut production or destroy the excess. They stored it and were glad that they did!
We hear about needy people in Canada and around the world. Can't our government help them and our cattlemen at the same time? Outright waste is a terrible sin.
Glen Hart
EmoFarmers have debts, too
On Sept. 3, The Globe and Mail said debt has become the driving force in students' lives because of stress. It's the same with farmers.The price of farmland has escalated so much in recent years that I don't know how a farmer can make a living. In Elgin County, I've been told that I should get $5,000 an acre for the few acres I have left if I sell it. Further west, land prices are higher.
Land is only part of the debt that a young farmer must incur to get started. He also has to pay for implements that cost much more than they used to be, and there is seed and fertilizer to pay for before he can get a crop.
I have been rather alarmed for some time over the way in which medical graduates are complaining. The Globe and Mail quotes a couple, both residents, who are $212,000 in debt and they say the borrowing has just begun. But once they become MDs, they have a product they can sell and they seem to be able to do very well. They don't have to contend with the markets the way we do in farming and they don't have to worry about a lot of other things, such as the United States closing the border to cattle because of BSE or charging that the government is assisting farmers here too much.
How in the world do these medical people expect that they will be able to go to the store and buy food at a cheap price when they make so much more than the farmer does?
Esther Humphrey
Aylmer
Write to us
We welcome the views of all readers. To be published letters, must be written exclusively to Better Farming and include the writer's name, address and telephone number to allow for verification. Letters may be edited, condensed or rejected. Due to space limitations, we suggest a length of less than 300 words.
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SHORT TAKES
Veggie recycler files nutrient management plan
Last April, Better Farming published an article about an odorous dispute between a Bradford-area vegetable waste recycler and his neighbour that involved the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE). The ministry forced waste recycler Cortale Haulage, to close two dumping and spreading sites because of Cortale's failure to finish a nutrient management plan according to schedule. Owner / Operator Frank Pirritano says the matter was cleared up in the spring, about the same time that the article was published.The home farm, where Pirritano lives, is 65 acres; a second farm a mile away is 100 acres. A neighbour complained about the odour last year from spreading on the home farm and in June of 2002 the MOE ordered Cortale to complete a nutrient management plan.
"The deadline they gave us was Aug. 31," Pirritano says. "We told them from the beginning there was no way we could do it. No one had done (a nutrient management plan) before for vegetables."
The plan was finally finished in April of 2003. "It just kind of dragged on," Pirritano says. Just waiting for an Ontario ministry of agriculture official from Guelph to visit the site held it up two to three weeks, Pirritano says. The distance was measured between a stockpile at the back of the 65-acre home farm and houses at the front. A minimum distance of less than 1,500 feet was required between the houses and the stockpile. The actual distance between the stockpile and the homes is 2,000 feet away or more, he says. Fields had to be soil-tested in the summer and again in the winter.
So does this stuff smell? Pirritano says at spreading time "it smells for about two days and it's gone." The residue is plowed under. "If it was that bad I wouldn't have moved here from Bradford," he says.
This year, the residue provided fertilizer for a crop of mixed grain planted immediately after. "It breaks down quickly," he says.
Spreading in fields is a second best choice for Cortale Haulage. Some products, such as carrots that are less than perfect, are delivered to local beef feedlots for free or for a relatively small fee to cover trucking costs.
Cortale Haulage has 45 head of its own cattle that also receive the carrots. Pirritano says carrots are high in moisture and therefore cattle require less water than normal, a good thing in a dry year. "I bet the cattle at our place get a drink once every two days, maybe," he says.
Farms as far away as Orillia get carrots. Livestock such as goats and sheep will eat mixed loads of carrots and onions.
Farms also get dried onion leaves from packing plants; the dry flakey outer layers are used for bedding, Pirritano says. BF
back Brazilian rainforest shrinking
Wonder where all those acres for South American soybeans are coming from? It's likely from Brazilian rainforests. Conservationists are shocked by the deforestation rate reported by the Brazilian government. A drastic upsurge has occurred even since last year. Satellite imagery shows that 9,845 square miles of Amazon forests disappeared between July 1, 2001, and June 30, 2002. The rate of decline has generally been less than two thirds of that. An area larger than France has already been deforested and about one third of cleared lands are thought to be abandoned.In the meantime, Brazilian development in general is going ahead. The government plans to invest a staggering $40 billion US in new highways, railroads, hydroelectric projects, power and gas lines in the next few years. BF
back Full-fat milk and child asthma -- the good news
Here's some good news that you can take to your citified cousins. Previously research in the Netherlands has associated lower rates of asthma with growing up on a farm. It was thought that there was a connection between urban pollution and wheezing. Eating fish once a week was also considered to be a key.The newest findings, however, indicate that there is good stuff in full-fat milk that may be responsible for lower rates of asthma among young children. Pre-school children who consumed full-fat milk and butter daily were less likely to develop asthma later on than children on restricted fat diets. The conclusions are based on studies of around 3,000 two-year-olds.
So what is the difference? There are various components of these products that might play a role, such as different fatty acids, but there may also be anti-oxidants or other micronutrients. Now you don't need to feel guilty about sending the young cousins back to the city at summer's end. BF
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Ontario's own COOL
To help alleviate the beef industry's distress, Kitchener-based M&M Meats Ltd. has pledged that it will source all of the ground beef that it needs for its products from Canada. The same can't be said for steaks, however. While M&M purchases sirloins exclusively in Canada, specialty steaks such as chateaubriands and filet mignons are likely to come from New Zealand or Australia.The reason? Customers prefer a thick six-ounce steak and we can't give it to them.
Canadian ranchers and farmers "tend to build bigger cows," says Kerina Elliott, vice-president of store operations for M & M. If the larger Canadian cattle were used, the steaks would have to be cut thinner and look like pancakes, she says.
To meet M&M's specifications, a strip loin should be 8-10 kilograms and strip loins from most Canadian raised cattle are bigger than that. "It almost dictates the requirement to go elsewhere," Elliott says, though she adds that M&M buys Canadian whenever it can.
With the abundance of product, it is now easier to buy here. That said, M&M contracts three and six months in advance for its meat products. Similarly, aged beef hangs 28 days in the cooler and takes a while to clear the system. "We have taken the high road and the ethical" approach and will honour these contracts, she says. "Everyone here empathizes with the circumstances in the industry," she says.
Canadians in other provinces likely are unaware that M&M doesn't source its filet mignons within Canada. The package says the meat is "Product of Canada." However, an M&M flyer featuring filets notes that they are made from New Zealand prime beef.
It's perfectly legitimate, say CFIA officials, because a substantial amount of manufacturing was done on these steaks before they went into the cooler.
Provincial labelling laws say that the country of origin must be visible on the marketing material, M&M's Elliott says. Ontario is the only province with such a law. BF
back Britain's poultry fraud artist turned chicken
Buy dead chickens for two cents a pound to make pet food and sell them for $1.09 to human food stores. That's how the United Kingdom's Peter Roberts made his living and acquired the nickname "Maggot Pete" during his 12-week fraud trial last summer. Roberts, who is 68, ran Denby Poultry, which is licensed to produce pet food but which bought chicken carcasses, processed them in a crude facility and sold them to stores as human food after marking them up more than 50 times, taking advantage of lax enforcement. The meat was sold in stores with normally good reputations such as Tesco and Farmfoods, to schools, hospitals and to a ready-to-eat meal company.Roberts got his "maggot" nickname after jurors watched a video shot during a police raid, where trucks used to collect waste and deliver meat were found to have a two-inch-thick layer of maggots on the floor.
Roberts was convicted in absentia, having fled for parts unknown while the trial was still going on. The scandal continues to reverberate in Britain's Meat Hygiene Service, which oversaw Roberts' operation. BF
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