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ahi ---------- tt Ara 1 a. aa -- 20- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, December 15, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Package provides some relief for beleaguered farmers From page 1 Hog prices have fallen to the point where farmers are losing around $60 on every pig they send to market. There have been stories of farmers in some parts of Ontario killing piglets, rather than keeping them and paying out more to raise them. Added to the pressure of a miserable market flooded by too many hogs is a strike by workers at Quality Meat Packers in Toronto, a major processor that handles up to 25,000 head a week. That's left farmers scrambling to find processors, and facing more costs for shipping and keeping hogs longer, said Mr. Zekveld. "Now, all of a sudden on top of the other problems, we have to move 25,000 head a week," he said. So it was with some relief that farm- ers read details of an assistance pack- age. Thursday, Ontario Agriculture Minister Noble Villeneuve announced that the province has earmarked $40 million for income relief to farmers suf- fering from falling prices and, in some areas, crop failure caused by drought. Later in the day federal ag minister Lyle Vanclief announced up to $900 million over two years for farmers across the country. Particulars have yet to be released, but it's expected money from that program could start flowing next spring, after farmers have filed their tax returns. Meanwhile, applica- tion packages for the provincial funds should be sent out to farmers in January. Essentially, farmers will be asked to give the government information on their revenues for the last three to five years. The program will provide support to farmers whose gross margins fall below 70 per cent of their three to five year average. Durham East MPP John O'Toole, a Tory, applauded his government's par- ticipation in the assistance effort. "Some farm operations in Durham East, and indeed across Ontario, have had a troubling year. Today's announce- ment confirms (the) Ontario govern- ment's support of the agricultural sec- tor," he said. Noting that agriculture represents the second largest sector of Durham's economy, Mr. O'Toole said it's entirely appropriate for the provincial and fed- eral governments to lend assistance during a time that's been described as a crisis. "When our farmers suffer, we all suf- fer," he said. "I anxiously await the fed- eral government's response to this crisis, and hope they will move forward with the speed that Ontario has." Later in the day Mr. Vanclief said he had received caucus approval for a $900 million package that will be dis- tributed to farmers across the country over two years. Provincial governments are expected to kick $600 million, he said. / Durham MP Alex Shepherd agrees that farmers are in need of short-term assistance, but hopes that this crisis prompts long-term planning to help avoid dire circumstances in the future. He's looking to the National Income Stabilization Assistance plan -- NISA -- as a means of protecting farmers from hardship in the future. NISA is a plan into which farmers pay voluntarily. It's been suggested this year that there's just $200 million in the fund, not nearly enough to provide aid to the thousands of farmers who have seen sharp down- turns in their revenues this year. "There's a concern we should be encouraging people to use NISA," said Mr. Shepherd, adding that the fund's shortfall indicates not enough farmers are volunteering premiums for the plan. "What we're trying to do is promote NISA as a long-term support package." Canada must also work with its trad- ing partners around the world to elimi- nate the farm subsidies still paid out in a number of countries, including the U.S., said Mr. Shepherd. They create an unfair advantage against which it is difficult for Canadian farmers to com- pete, he said. In the meantime, farmers are looking forward to more details on packages, said Mr. Zekveld.- They need information to calculate the kind of assistance they may expect as they approach their bankers for short-term financing to help them get through the next few months. Farmers especially need encourage- ment now as they enter the holiday season, typically a very slow time for the industry, he said. "We're coming up to Christmas, and that scares the heck out of the whole industry," he said. ZZ ON North Durham Hospice (serving Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock) In memoriam donations to North Durham AM TYNIN [Nef CHRISTMAS BIININ 3: Xe]: COCKTAIL PARTY? Restaurant and Wining Lounge Canadian and Butch Cuisine | There's no place like EMIELS PLACE! in Downtown Port Perry We don't just cater to your needs...we care about them! For reservations call 985-2066 Dental Care Jor the whole family PORT PERRY DENTAL CENTRE 238 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY IS. * DR. J. HARDY *DR. J. COTTRELL * DR. C. BANFIELD -<DR.L. GIDEON * DR. T. KING * DR. T. McINTYRE (Orthodontist) (Periodontist) Please Call - 985-8451 ("+ DR. L. GIDEON Please Ca1985-7952 ) 7 | Evening & Saturday Appointments Ave 2 Nery 1 Patients Always Welcome aa i Local packer scrambles to process hogs By Rik Davie Special to the Star The crash of pork prices, combined with a processor's strike in Toronto have combined to leave local meat pack- ers scrambling to keep up with an influx of hogs. Murray McLaughlin of Pine Ridge Packers in Blackstock said he's hard pressed to keep up Hood available in Porcelain Enamel or Stainless Steel with the hoard of hogs descending on his plant. "You can buy a hog for $60 to $65 average, right now," he said. "Farmers are ship- ping as many as they can because of the cost of keeping them." When the large num- ber of farmers shipping pork is combined with a MODEL P308RB GAS BARBEQUE "= eo Patented Stainless Steel 15,000 BTU's Infro-Red Rear Burner * Two Patented 30,000 BTU"s Stainless Steel Bottom Burner ~ » CORIAN® by Dupont \ i Side Shelves and \! Cutting Board \& from £1 1 1 MODEL GDS50 NATURAL GAS or PROPANE FIREPLACE * No Hydro Required * Maximum 44,000 BTU's * Direct Vent or B-Vent 2995 installed By ou | _ OVERRIDGE | Fireplace Warehouse [w Li : 170 Casimir St., Port Perry ? i Toll Free 1-800-638-4751 965-0715 a | FIREPLACES | GAS GRILLS Tes F strike at Quality Meat Packers in Toronto -- that operation handles up to 25,000 hogs a week on average -- the effect on smaller outfits like Pine Ridge is staggering. "We are seeing double the amount of stock com- ing here," said Mr.McLaughlin. "Our business has doubled, let's say that." Meanwhile, other large plants like Maple Leaf Meat Packers are continuing to limit the amount of pork they accept from shippers. The effect is tragedy for some farmers, and bar- gain days for some con- sumers. At a price of around 28 cents a pound for dressing the meat, many people are taking advan- tage of putting a whole porker in their freezer for around $200 or, in some cases, much less. "There are some tak- ing advantage of it. It's just too bad that the farmers are the ones paying the price right now," Mr. McLaughlin said. The hog market is usually slow during the Christmas season, according to industry sources, but not this year; but it's not for any reason that gives hope to local farmers, weath- ering one of the worst depressions in the pork industry in recent mem- ory. Happy Golden Anniversary December 18th Orval & Janet Love Colleen, Gary, lan, (Mom & Dad) Nelson Jamie & Catherine (07.1, [0]! 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