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Page 29 THE HERALD Wednesday October Agriculture OFA officials contest government support figures By ROB SAVAGE Toronto Bureau Thomson News Service TORONTO Federal govern meat officials have greatly exag the level of government support going to farming the On tario Federation of Agriculture said Friday OFA President Pyke contested arguments that the federal government provides S billion in support to farming The subsidies this year only come to about billion said said International Trade Minister John is using ex figures It frightens me that Crosbie may actually believe that his government is shovelling billion at farmers on an annual basis Pyke said in a news release If he does believe hat he should nol only be cen but fired The s have voted to censure com Crosbie s statements were reported in news articles earlier this week The Trade Minister took jabs at Don the federal agriculture minister saying should be ashamed of the amount going to farming is reported to have said annua federal subsidies came to billion The federal govern ment is proposing some subsidies be cut by 50 per cent According to the OFA news release the billion figure was calculated by taking the between the world price of agriculture products and the Canadian prices Pyke said it is a peculiar method of calculating subsidies It is the same as saying that because the world price of labor is an hour and workers in Canada made an average 8 an hour that the difference is a government subsidy maintained by Canada s minimum wage laws Interestfree loans made available OTTAWA Canadian Federation of Agriculture ap plauded Agriculture Minister Don announce that interest free cash ad will be available for farmers awaiting the op portunity to market their crops Interest free provisions of both the Prairie Grains Advance Payments and the Advance Payments for Crops Programs came to an end last year With a sudden downturn in prices and a weakening farm econom the A asked that the interest free provision be restored Farm income for 1990 across the Prainer provinces is ex to be more than per cent under the 1989 level and about per cent below the previous five year average Saskatchewan alone is expected to experience a per cent decline in realized net farm in come The return of the interest free provision will go a long way to alleviate the serious cash flow problems faced many fanners CFA president Don Knoerr said The govern has shown its willingness to listen to farmers he added The A president how ev expressed concern This measure is temporal designed to deal with an immediate ex situation This is very but there is a major need for a long term income stabilize lion program for farmers This must be implemented soon enough to deal with the net come effect of the current situa is also a need for a review of the long term effec of our advance payment programs The interest free component of these programs is not the only issue that needs review We also must be certain that an effective delivery system is available the President said Assistance deadline close TORONTO The application deadline for all components of the Ontano Ministry of Agriculture and Food Farm Income Assistance Program is Oct 1990 We estimate that imately half of the applications have been received by the ministry so far With the deadline less than a month away we are urging farmers to fill out their forms and forward them to us now said Roily Stroeter tor of the farm assistance pro grams branch The Farm Income Assistance Program is designed to reduce the cash flow burden resulting from high interest rates and weak commodity prices It has several components including in ass stance grams and oilseeds fur and horticultural crops Farm businesses with a 1989 gross farm income of at least which paid at least in farm interest in the fiscal year ended during 1989 are eligible for the Interest Assistance Compo nent Farm businesses which pro duced and harvested any of the eligible crops are eligible for the Grains and Oilseeds Component Ontario licensed breeders of ranch raised mink and fox are eligible for the Fur Component Fruit vegetable and tobacco- producing farm businesses are eligible for the Horticultural Component Eligible producers who have not received an application form or need information can contact the Farm Assistance Programs Branch at or their local office British Bakers British Breads Pastries J 330 6uepi St anstmuKuurs On New Life and Swiii viumlns FOODS ACTON The OFA news release said Canadian agriculture is facing a national disaster and subsidies are needed We have to keep fanners in business through the bad times so that Canadians will continue to have a safe and affordable supply of food in the long term Roger George the first vice- president of the OFA also slam med calculations Mr Crosbie must know that average annual cash transfers to the agriculture industry are nowhere near the billion figure cited by and now other national commentators For All Your Fine 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