July 24, 2003 (Guelph) –The Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) has urged the Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food to provide immediate cash support for beef producers in Ontario to help a crippled Ontario beef industry. Cash payments based on 2002 net livestock sales would alleviate immediate cashflow problems and allow some semblance of order to return to the marketplace.

OCA’s request comes closely behind the Alberta government commitment to provide increased support to beef producers in that province above the recently announced federal/provincial disaster program. Ontario has always believed that disaster assistance should be on national basis so all producers in this country are working in an equal and competitive market.

The current national disaster program was designed to restart a stalled market and on this basis, was only aimed at slaughter animals. In the next two months, however, 18,000 Ontario cow/calf farmers will be ready to sell their calves – and without the borders opening, there will be little demand for these calves. All Ontario producers need to know that there will be assistance available to them.

Ron Wooddisse, President of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association said that given the diverse makeup of the Ontario industry, the Agricultural Policy Framework may be the best option to providing disaster assistance for all beef producers including those not covered in the current Disaster Relief program. Wooddisse said that OCA has asked that prior to signing, the Minister ensure that two terms are met. First, the program must include a provision for interim payments to producers to help with their cash flow situations. Second, the program must allow for extraordinary negative margins to be covered for a minimum of three years.

OCA officials will be meeting with Minister Johns and Premier Ernie Eves tomorrow to discuss their industry’s desperate situation and OCA’s call for the establishment of a national BSE crisis centre. The centre will be composed of industry and government representatives who have the capacity to make national decisions and fast track actions. The establishment of this centre is critical since the current situation has moved outside producer control. Other commodity producers, farm suppliers and lending institutions are now threatened as the crisis enters its tenth week.

Beef is the second largest commodity in Ontario in terms of annual farm gate receipts with a value of approximately $1.2 billion. Beef exports from Ontario to the U.S.A., in 2002, were valued at $354 million in live cattle and an additional $292 million in beef product.

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