Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

AgVisionTV.com The High Cost of Cheap Food. Do you agree with Dr. Charlebois? Comments

The High Cost of Cheap Food
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois talks about why consumers paying less for food, doesn't help anyone.

Check out this video…
http://agvisiontv.farms.com/default.aspx?vid=vid_11162009135816843

Views: 444

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joann on November 22, 2009 at 9:16am
I found Dr. Charlebois' comments confusing and distorted. On one hand he associates increased fertilizer outputs to increased global agricultural production and then speaks of domestic consumer trust of food integrity. Dr. Charlebois' discussion flows between global production and the need to invest domestically in nutrition and the food chain. There was little discussion about primary domestic agricultural production. It's as if primary domestic agricultural production was of little to no consequence in Canada's food debate.

I fail to see how Dr. Charlebois' suggestion to increase food costs would automatically equate in a secure food supply with a highly expected level of integrity.

While I find that suggest noble, I would suggest Mother Nature and global partners might not be on the same page when it comes down to his suggested business model.

As with every product the consumer buys there are 3 important elements. Production, transportation and communication. If any link in that chain breaks or weakens, it would have an effect to the end user, the consumer.


Does Dr. Charlebois have a comphresive understanding and knowledge of primary agriculture in Canada? Can he produce the last unmitigated audit on agriculture?

Could Dr. Charlebois answer one question that is of prime importance to the domestic consumer before he suggests moving to the next level? If the borders were to close, could Canada supply their domestic needs?

Most people (ask OMAFRA, they will tell you) would answer very quickly....YES... as we are a net exporting country.

But with every product, there are inputs and agriculture is no exception. Where do our agricultural inputs come from? Our seed? Fertilizer? Energy? Pharmaceuticals of animal welfare? Labour? Parts? Tractors? Machinery? Pesticides? Chemicals? etc..

If the borders were to close will Canadian production sustain the population? 25 years ago, we produced 80% of our domestic needs. Today we are importing 80% and only supplying 20% of our domestic needs. Do we have enough farmers with their unique knowledge to sustain our population if borders were to close? Are we self sufficient in primary agricultural production?

The other notable aspect absent was mention of our Sovereign Food Policy. Without that information, in my private opinion, his suggestions do not resonate with confidence. Without an absolute and irrefutable audit of agriculture in Canada, I fail to see true merit in his remarks.
Permalink Reply by Sara Avoledo on November 27, 2009 at 10:19am
I thought this was an excellent piece. I agree that we don't pay enough for our food in Canada or even in North America as a whole and that has to change.

Any ideas as to how this can be achieved across the whole agri-food chain?
And so that consumers mostly understand and at least partially accept the change?

Sara
Permalink Reply by Steve Twynstra on December 10, 2009 at 5:09am
A good old fashioned pandemic with the requisite border closures might change attitudes in a hurry....
I don't think we have enough current processor capacity or infrastructure to feed Ontarians a balanced diet in that unfortunate event.
Permalink Reply by rein minnema on December 10, 2009 at 3:55pm
Our infrastructure is going downhill, we rely to much on our so called friends south of the border.
Look at COOL etc. etc., who sets the rules?

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

U.K. detects first human case of 'distinct' form of swine flu

Officials are racing to track the contacts of the United Kingdom's first human case of a "distinct" form of swine flu. On Monday, the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced it had detected a single confirmed human case of influenza A(H1N2)v as part of routine national flu surveillance. There have been dozens of human cases of that strain reported globally since 2005, but none of them are genetically related to the recently identified case, officials said. "Based on early information, the infection detected in the U.K. is a distinct clade (1b.1.1), which is different from recent human cases of influenza A(H1N2) elsewhere in the world but is similar to viruses in U.K. swine," reads the UKHSA's statement. Officials said the individual experienced a mild illness and fully recovered, but the source of their infection isn't yet known. "We are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce any potential spread," Meera Chand, the UKHSA's incident director, said in a statement. "

Secretary Naig Announces New Water Quality Partnership Project with Iowa Pork and INREC

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and the Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council (INREC) will partner with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship on a “batch and build” water quality project in targeted Iowa watersheds. The first phase of the Pig Farmer Water Quality Partnership Program, which is in place through June 30, 2026, will initially focus within the priority watersheds of the Boone River and North Raccoon River. As the project grows, the goal will be for the project to expand into other targeted watersheds. By working with pork producers and other farmers and landowners who utilize manure as fertilizer, the plan is to install edge-of-field practices such as bioreactors and saturated buffers using Iowa’s innovative “batch and build” model. The model modernizes the project management process by installing batches of conservation practices on multiple farms at once, therefore allowing

New Legislation Could Protect Livestock Producers, Tackle Rising Costs

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced the Protecting Interstate Commerce for Livestock Producers Act to protect farmers from costly regulations – made in other states – that will hurt their business and drive-up costs for consumers. “Missouri’s livestock producers keep food on the table across America and they shouldn’t be burdened by costly laws – made by other states – that disrupt interstate commerce, drive-up costs, and impose crippling regulations,” Sen. Hawley said in a release. “This law is a commonsense solution to protect family farms from going bankrupt and consumers from shouldering higher costs at the grocery store.” California voters passed Proposition 12 that bans the sale of pork, eggs and calves for veal that were not produced with certain space requirements. It is estimated that California accounts for 13% of all pork consumption in the U.S., Hawley's office said in a release. Hawley doesn't believe that farmers across the country should have to comply with California

Iowa Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Pork Producers

A Rock Rapids, Iowa, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to manipulating weights of hogs in order to defraud pork producers. According to the Sioux City Journal, Robert Bickerstaff, 52, entered his plea on Dec. 1 in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids to one count of wire fraud. He could face up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment. A sentencing date is yet to be set. During the plea hearing, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Bickerstaff admitted he had worked as a regional manger for an Iowa livestock dealer between 2018 and 2021. As regional manager, he oversaw livestock buying stations in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. He also personally counted, classified and weighed swine at these stations, reports KIWA Radio. Bickerstaff personally lowered the weights, numbers and classifications of hogs producers delivered to the dealer's buying stations, or directed others to fraudulently to do, said the U.S. At

Ag in the House: Nov. 27 – Dec. 1

Conservatives pressured the government about Bill C-234 all week

© 2023   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service