Danish Crown cutting staff

Danish Crown, one of the major competitors for Canadian pork packers in export markets, is cutting costs by laying off about 500 staff.

"Danish Crown is in the midst of a crisis and we are facing radical changes. Our costs are simply too high in relation to our earnings," said chief executive officer Niels Duedahl.

"We are now adapting our organization and focusing 100 per cent on our core business to ensure a better payment to the farmers who own Danish Crown," he said.

In April it announced it will close one of its major slaughterhouses and lay off nearly 1,200 employees by mid-September.

Danish crown said at the time that the number of pigs sent for slaughter has dropped significantly since 2021, making it necessary to streamline production in order to pay Danish farmers a competitive price for their pigs.

Cash croppers in a squeeze

 

Cash cropper margins could be the worst in 20 years, according to a writer for the AgWeb news site.

“The margins that farmers are facing on average are really a tough place to be in for 2022 to 2024,” said Krista Swanson, lead economist for the National Corn Growers Association. 

“According to  USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), the cost to produce corn dropped five per cent, but the price was down by 37 per cent.

“And when we look at those average numbers from the USD, looking at cost of production for corn prices and yield, that comes out to average losses of $125 per acre.”

USDA’s revised Net Farm Income projections, released in early September, show net cash farm income for the 2024 calendar year will fall by $12 billion, which is down about seven per cent from 2023, and net farm income will fall by $6.5 billion or 4.4 per cent. 

This is compared to projections released in February which suggested net farm income would fall by 26 per cent.

Beef prices and margins are much higher, but not enough to offset the grim news for cash cropping.

Tractor and combine sales tumble

Tractor sales in Canada were down by 24 per cent in September from a year ago and combine sales by 52 per cent.

In the United States, tractor sales were down by 19 per cent and combine sales by 51 per cent, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

AGCO announced layoffs at its facility at Hesston, Kansas.

Beef and egg prices still rising

 Food prices continued to rise faster than the overall Consumer Price Index in September, led by beef, up by 9.2 per cent, eggs up by five per cent and fats and oils up by 7.8 per cent.

The food price index rose by 2.2 per cent while the Consumer Price Index came in at 1.6 per cent, the lowest increase since 2021.

The food price index has risen by 21.7 per cent in three years.

Gasoline prices were down by 10.7 per cent from a year ago.

                          

 Question: How does supply management for eggs lead to price increases greater than CPI?

Avian flu returns to Utah

 

Highly-pathogenic avian influenza returned to Utah, resulting in the culling of 1.8 million chickens on one farm in Cache County.

For comparison, there are about 24.6 million laying hens in Ontario.

There was another recent outbreak that affected 62,800 birds in California, the first outbreak in that state since January.

Avian influenza has also infected the sixth person stricken in the United States; he was working with dairy cattle.

Canada Packers brand name returns

 

Maple Leaf Foods is bringing back the Canada Packers brand for its premium meats that will be processed from animals and poultry that meet standards for environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety.

Canada Packers merged with Maple Leaf Mills to become Maple Leaf Foods in 1991.

Maple Leaf later bought J.M. Schneiders from Smithfield Foods in 2003.

“We’re not just celebrating our heritage, we’re leading the way for the future of pork and poultry production, both at home and globally,” Swinex quotes Michael McCain which it identified as chief executive officer.

Except he’s no longer ceo. It’s Curtis Frank.

And Dennis Organ will be ceo of Canada Packers.

Avian flu spreading in California dairy herds

 

Highly-pathogenic avian influenza has spread to 93 dairy herds in California, but dairy industry officials are uncertain what it means for milk supplies.

Usually the disease in cattle is mild, but is deadly to poultry. It is turning out to be more serious among cattle than previously thought.

California has about 1,100 dairy herds and 1.7 million cows which account for about 20 per cent of the U.S. milk supply.

State and federal health authorities insist that H5N1 poses little threat to humans and that it is safe to drink milk that has been pasteurized, because the process kills the virus.

However, dairy farmers and veterinarians are reporting far greater rates of mortality among infected herds than anticipated and steep drops in the rate of milk production among recovered cows. 

At the same time, some epidemiologists fear that as the virus spreads among California farms, it greatly increases the odds that it can mix with a human virus and create a health threat for people.

“I was shocked the first time I encountered it in one of my herds,” said Maxwell Beal, a Central Valley-based veterinarian who has been treating infected herds in California since late August. 

“It was just like, wow. Production-wise, this is a lot more serious than than we had hoped. And health-wise, it’s a lot more serious than we had been led to believe.”

Beef jelly tongue recall expands

 

The recall of beef jelly tongue made by Wagener's has expanded to 29 brands.

Provincial authorities said at least four consumers have been infected with Listeria monocytogenes food-poisoning bacteria in the products.

Much of the recalled meat was distributed to retailers in Kitchener and London.

The Toronto-based company has been in business for 58 years.

Turkey buyers seek class-action status

Turkey buyers continue to seek certification for a class-action lawsuit they filed in 2019.

They are now pointing to a Department of Justice opinion that simply sharing information is a breach of the law governing competition in the United States.

Pork producers have included AgriStats in their class-action lawsuits; the company gathered data from packing companies, then prepared an industry report and sold it back to the packers.

Among the information was prices and production volumes and planned production volumes.

Many of the pork packers and chicken processors have reached settlements that mean there are no trials where information by the accusers and accused would be revealed.

Feds add funding for animal health

 

The federal agriculture department has announced another $12.3 million for national health and disease preparedness programs.

Of that, up to $3.53 million will go for animal health surveillance, five million to improve emergency management practices and $4.81 million to update, amend, and review several codes of practice.

            

Farmers are improving land

 

The Ontario government said that farmers have taken $12.2 million for 123 projects to improve land under the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program.

Farmers planted grassland and trees, reduced tillage and created water retention ponds.

 These improvements help farmers increase their resilience against extreme weather events and enhance the health of their soil and water, while boosting biodiversity on their properties,” said a news release from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agri-business.

The program, administered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, is open to more applications.

Packers oppose mandatory beef auctions

 

The North American Meat Institute is campaigning against federal government proposals to force market-ready beef cattle to be sold in open bidding.

It would end contracting between producers and packers.

Institute president Julie Anna Potts said this is not about transparency, as the government says, but “is about the government dictating how cattle may be bought and sold.”

She said it’s farmers who want contracting so that prices reflect their efforts to improve genetics and other traits.

She said open markets still establish industry pricing which is at record high levels.

Potts said “cattle production operations are not all the same and the cattle they produce are not one-size-fits all.  Moving back in time to a commodity cattle market will reduce competition, innovation, and quality, ultimately hurting the entire industry.  Livestock producers ought to be rewarded for their innovation in the marketplace.”

On the other hand, the farmers pressing for the new regulations point to class-action lawsuits against the largest beef packers, claiming they collude to rig the markets for cattle and beef.

                  

Ontario had 13 rabid bats

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reports that Ontario had 13 rabid bats during September, bringing the total for the year to 63.

One child died and another person was bitten by a rabid bat in the Brantford area.

Nationally there have been103 cases of rabid bats and animals so far this year.

Other than two artic foxes and for skunks, they were all bats.

Governments offer $4 million for workers

The federal and Ontario agriculture departments are offering $4 million to help attract and retain agriculture-industry workers.

The initiative will help fund job training and new recruitment marketing campaigns, introduce new worker supports such as ridesharing programs and language training and support the planning of on-site amenities and recreational facilities, a news release said.

“We have heard loud and clear from Ontario’s agribusiness champion processors that continued access to skilled labour is crucial to their long-term growth,” said Ontario Agriculture Minister Rob Flack.

Successful producers and processors can receive up to 50 per cent in cost-share support per project, up to a maximum of $40,000. 

Eligible industry organizations and collaborations between or among businesses can receive up to 50 per cent of their eligible costs, up to a  maximum of $100,000 per project. 

The Initiative will start accepting applications on October 22.

UG touts internship program

The University of Guelph is trying to draw attention to an internship program it offers students studying for a master’s degree in agricultural economics, animal science and plant science.

One of the reasons is the difficulty companies are experiencing in recruiting youth to take up jobs while veteran employees are retiring.

Those eligible for internships are students who have completed a four-year undergraduate degree and at least two semesters or master’s degree studies.

Emmanuele Arnaud, assistant dean of graduate studies at Ontario Agricultural College, said companies “have had a hard time finding students and people to fill their positions, especially in Ontario. 

“There are a lot of people retiring and not enough highly qualified personnel to fill those roles.”

Ontario farmland prices stall

Farmland prices have stalled in significant parts of Ontario, such as Huron, Perth, Bruce and Grey, reports Farm Credit Canada.

But other parts of the province posted gains, pushing up the provincial average by 2.1 per cent.

That’s less than half the Canada-wide prices which went up by 5.5 per cent.

The FCC figures are for the first half of this year.

The upward trend in farmland prices is because of limited land available to buy and good farm cash receipts, FCC said.

On the other hand, commodity prices have declined and interest rates are high.

FCC said declining interest rates may lead to higher farmland prices.

McDonald’s sues nine beef packers

McDonald’s Corp. has filed a lawsuit in New York accusing nine beef packers of conspiring to elevate beef prices for almost 10 years.

The suit contends that the companies had “multiple opportunities to collude” on beef prices by trading competitively sensitive information at trade shows and other industry-related events.

Among the nine are Tyson Foods Inc., JBS SA, Cargill Inc., and National Beef.

The lawsuit said the nine accused account for more than 80 per cent of the U.S. beef supply.

JBS and Cargill have beef-packing plants in Alberta and Ontario and Canadian prices closely track prices in the United States.

So far there have been no meat price-fixing lawsuits in Canada despite years of lawsuits in the United States, and there is no word from the Bureau of Competition Policy in Ottawa that it has launched any investigations similar to those ongoing by the U.S. government.

Beef jelly tongue recalled

Recall

By Jim Romahn

Oct. 7/24

 

 

Wagener’s beef Jelly Tongue is under recall because of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes food-poisoning bacteria.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency identified the bacteria after it launched an investigation into food-poisoning outbreaks.

                           -30-

Disastrous milk protection bill

 

The Bloc Quebecois is making passage of a bill banning any trade concessions for supply-managed commodities a condition for its support of the minority Liberal government.

It’s a terrible idea, including for supply management.

The truth is that whoever wins the U.S. presidential election, the winner will impose more tariffs.

That will have enormous impact on the Canadian economy because the U.S. is our biggest customer.

Supply management is an important bargaining chip, but we lose it if the bill now in the Senate is approved.

World demand for dairy products is increasing and Canada is one of the few countries which has the resources to capitalize on that demand.

But we can’t export because the World Trade Organization has ruled that supply management is a subsidy and it has banned the export of subsidized products.

But there is nothing to prevent Canada from bargaining that involves ending supply management, nor from the federal and provincial governments from subsidizing milk producers via some back door, such as protecting the environment..

Chicken, eggs and turkey should be able to stand agains an unprotected border with the U.S. because we use the same genetics, feed and other inputs and we have more land and water.

We are certainly less vulnerable to hurricanes, such as Helene and Matthew that destroyed a significant portion of the U.S. chicken and egg farms and processing faciiities.

Fortune magazine has a feature article this month saying increasing tariffs will almost certainly happen with Donald Trump hitting harder than Kamala Harris.

It also calculates that Trump’s tariff proposals will increase inflation, reduce gross domestic product and cost the average American household $1,750 a year.

Those unintended consequences don’t register with voters. Nor does the fact that increasing tariffs is exactly the same as increasing taxes, which is political suicide.

What are the chances of the Bloc Quebecois bill passing? Pretty high.

Bang! Shot in our foot!

Georgia farms devastated by hurricane

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said Hurricane Helene has wiped out this year’s harvest and delivered a hard blow to the state’s $84-billion agriculture economy.

He was speaking at a news conference with former U.S. President Donald Trump, overed by CNN.

Separate news reports indicate half of the pecan trees have been  destroyed and cotton farmers, already in trouble after droughts, have lost crops just before harvest.

Hundreds of poultry barns were damaged.

Georgia is perennially the number one state in the nation in the production of peanuts, broilers, pecans, blueberries and spring onions.

 

It is one of the top states for producing cotton, watermelon, peaches, eggs, cucumbers, sweet corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupes, rye and cabbage. 

 

In South Carolina, 95 per cent of the corn crop was in the bin and 25 per cent of soybeans were mature and being harvested.

There is scant information about the impact on North Carolina’s $100-billion agriculture industry, other than a report that a third of the greenhouses were damaged.

Previous hurricanes have flooded hog operations, drowning thousands of pigs and spilling manure from lagoons over thousands of square kilometres of flatlands along the eastern half of the state.

North Caroline’s mountain communities were the hardest hit by Hurricane Helene, killing most of the 200 people so far counted as dead.

Florida’s peanut crop was the hardest hit; the storm swept up Highway I-75 where the peanuts were in the midst of harvest.

Some farms were also hit hard by a hurricane 10 years ago.

AgWeb offers combine window cleaning tips

 

AgWeb, an on-line and farmer magazine business, has gathered tips from farmers on keeping combine windows clean.

One farmer said long-handled rubber squeegee might reduce problems with fine dust clinging to window glass. 

Using spray-on window cleaner and then rubbing with paper towels seems to create a static charge that actually attracts dust. 

My experience is that using a professional-quality rubber squeegee minimizes potential for adding a static electric charge to the window.

Use a bucket of water with a little Dawn Dish Soap to soak the glass before squeegeeing. Plus, squeegeeing with a long-handled tool is faster than hand-wiping a big window.

Another recommended using ground chains to reduce the need for window washing. 

One theory is that all the rubber belts spinning in sheaves and pulleys generate a static electric charge within a combine’s metalwork. 

One fall I attached a short length of log chain to the frame of a combine and let it drag for several inches on the ground. I couldn’t tell if it was making any difference in the cleanliness of the windows until one afternoon when the windows suddenly clouded over with dust in less than an hour’s time. 

That evening, I noticed that the bolt holding my ground chain had come loose and the chain was missing. I put on a new chain, and the next day my windows stayed noticeably less dusty.

“I have dragged a chain [behind my equipment] for 20 years,” says Heath Petersen. “Not saying it’s everyone’s answer, but I only clean my windows if it rains.”

When it comes to ground chains, remember the following: 

 

• The chain must be bolted to bare metal on the frame and located so it drags between the rows for better contact with bare soil. 
• Because of the amount of crop residue, ground chains work better in soybeans than in corn. 
• A heavy chunk of log chain works best, with the extra weight keeping it in contact with the ground.

Terry Christensen says the soft-bristled brush is a “great” option when you need something that’s quick and easy in the busy season. He says you can find these brushes at most auto part stores.

According to Nathan Reed, the brush can be used on the hard-to-reach back window, facing the hopper.

“On my Case combines, the window tilts toward the inside,” Reed said. “When I have to stop on the end to dump, I pop it open and run the duster over it.” 

Rain-X, used to repel rain, sleet and snow, works for Jerry McCulley.

Brett Schultz uses anything laying around, such as his wife’s best dress -not! – and Leonard Reuby uses old white t-shirts.

 

         

Bruce County lends $100,000 to IPM

 

Bruce County Council has approved lending $100,000 to the organizers of the International Plowing Match to be held near Walkerton in 2026.

It will be at the same location as the 1976 IPM, at the corner of Durham Road and Bruce Road 3, west of Walkerton and near Tiverton.

The Bruce County Plowmens Association asked for financial support in February and this week council approved an interest-free $100,000 loan.

Staff recommended $25,000 be given now and the balance when needed.

The loan is to be repaid in full by December 31, 2026.

Child dies of rabies

 

A child bitten by a rabid bat has died.

Halidmand-Norfolk public health unit revealed the death during a recent board meeting.

The bat entered a room where child was sleeping and did not know that the bat scratched or bit him or her.

That was in August in Gowganda in the Temiskaming Region.

Another rabid bat bit a person in Brantford on Sept. 6.

California dairy worker has flu

 

A worker on a dairy farm in California has contracted avian influenza from the cattle, the second case in the state and the 16^th in the United States.

Six of the 16 were working with infected dairy cattle and the others with infected poultry.

None of the people fell seriously ill, nor have any cattle died of the disease, but it’s deadly in poultry.

There have been no cases of highly-pathogenic avian influenza in cattle or people in Canada.

NFU alarmed by jet fuel proposals

Darrel Qualman, policy advisor for the National Farmers Union, laid out challenges with farm-based jet fuel when he spoke at a conference at Houston, Texas.

The three-day conference was on Sustainable Aviation Futures North America.

Here’s what Qualman said:

Airline and energy companies are on the eve of a megaproject: switching the fuel supplies of the global jet fleet to agricultural feedstocks.

The massive scale of the plan will create many negative effects.

Removing billions of tonnes of biomass from the world’s farmlands will slow soil carbon sequestration and create soil health risks.

Growing and removing that biomass also creates the need for increased quantities of nitrogen fertilizer, which will increase on-farm greenhouse gas emissions. 

Energy crops will require many millions of acres to produce and will compete with food crops and drive up grocery store prices. 

Governments have committed to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This creates a problem for airlines and their rising emissions. 

The industry’s plan is to transition off fossil fuels and onto Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs). 

For the most part, this means fuelling jets from farmland. 

Initially, limited SAF feedstocks will come from crops: corn, soybeans, and canola. 

Phase two, much more ambitious, is to use other agricultural feedstocks—mostly crop residues such as straw and corn stover—and also tens-of-millions of acres of purpose-grown energy crops: fast growing grasses and farmed trees.  

A third phase is proposed: to turn air (a source of carbon) and water (a source of hydrogen) into liquid hydrocarbon fuels using renewable electricity, but such plans are costly and probably not scalable, requiring, by many estimates, quantities of electricity roughly equal to total current global production.

The scale of the SAF megaproject is staggering. Airlines plan to double air travel by 2050. To fuel all those flights, they will need more than 130 billion gallons of fuel per year—about half-a-trillion litres. 

Producing even half of that volume from farm-sourced feedstocks will require one to two billion tonnes of biomass per year. 

And the investment required to build thousands of production facilities is, according to airline industry associations, $4 to $8 trillion between now and 2050.

The SAF project is just one of many such plans to take more and more from farmland, including: feeding billions more people as populations grow, producing billions of tonnes of biomass per year for negative-emission electricity (so-called bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, BECCS), producing biomaterials to replace plastics, producing biofibres to replace petroleum-derived fibres and fabrics, etc. 

And we’re going to try to do all that from a global farmland base that will be increasingly battered by climate impacts.

We’re already taking too much from the planet’s farmland base, and multiple new demands are planned. 

There simply isn’t enough farmland, biomass, soil, water, or productive capacity to supply SAF feedstocks in the quantities proposed. 

To try to do so risks triple failure: failing to actually decarbonize aviation, failing to ensure food security, and failing to safeguard our farmland and our besieged biosphere.

Tribunal dismisses dairy appeal

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal has dismissed an appeal filed by Chantelle Leslie and Erick Leach against the Dairy Farmers of Ontario marketing board and the Director of Regulatory Compliance.

Leslie claimed the milk board discriminated against her. She said it was based on her disability.

The tribunal said it lacks jurisdiction related to four of the appeals filed against the Director of Regulatory Compliance.

It denied two motions seeking disclosure of information from the milk board. 

The tribunal agreed with the milk board’s lawyer, Geoffrey Spurr, that they are “fishing expeditions.”

A “fishing expedition” is an informal, pejorative term for a non-specific search for information, especially incriminating information.

Donald Good represented Leslie and Leach.

Kingston dairy finally opens

Seven years after construction began, a Chinese-owned dairy in Kingston finally opened for business.

It’s not clear whether it will process only goat milk, but officials from both the Canadian Dairy Commission and Dairy Farmers of Ontario attended the official opening.

“It took over eight years and a total investment of over $380 million to build the most innovative world-class, most technologically advanced, as well as innovative manufacturing facility in all of North America,” said Youbin Leng, chairman and chief executive officer and executive director of China Feihe Ltd., the owner of the Canada Royal Milk plant and business.

The company will sell infant formula to Canadian retailers.

It employs about 160 local people.

Ford blames Waterloo for Wilmot land grab

 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford blamed the Waterloo Region and its chair, Karen Redman, for controversies surrounding the attempts to purchase 770 acres in Wilmot Township near New Hamburg for an industrial park.

Ford met with leaders of a group opposing the project and told them “they mishandled the land acquisition from the beginning.”

The group also quoted Ford as saying “I don’t know why all the secrecy going on. I couldn’t figure that one out.”

Local politicians have said they can’t talk about the project because they signed non-disclosure agreements.”

While Ford tried to distance himself from the controversy, it has been clear that it’s provincial money funding it.

Ford may have singled out Redman for criticism because she is chairman of the Waterloo Region and was previously House Leader for the federal Liberal party.

A group of about 20 opponents to the project attended the International Plowing Match near Lindsay where they participated in a parade and where they met with Ford.

U.S. farmers turn pessimistic

 

In September, the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropped 12 points to 88, the lowest since March, 2016. 

 

The barometer for income expectations took the 12-point hit and the index for future expectations dropped by 14 points to 94.

 

The index for current conditions declined by seven points.

 

Farmers are increasingly worried about commodity prices, input costs, agricultural trade prospects and the potential impact of the upcoming election on their farm operations., the surveyors found.

 

Only 26 per cent of respondents expect exports to rise over the next five years, the most pessimistic response to this question since it was first introduced in 2019. 

 

And 78 per cent are worried about the outcome of the November  elections.

 

The Farm Financial Performance Index fell for the third consecutive month, dropping to 68 in September from 72 in August. Farmers’ financial expectations have declined markedly compared to a year ago, as the index was at 86 in September 2023 — an 18-point difference. 

 

The Short-Term Farmland Value Expectations Index dropped by 10 points to 95. This is the first time since 2020 that the index fell below 100, indicating that more farmers are expecting a decline in farmland values over the next year than those who anticipate an increase. 

 

The September survey marks the fourth consecutive year that the barometer has included questions regarding cover crop usage among corn and soybean producers. 

 

Consistent with prior years’ surveys, more than half indicated that they currently plant cover crops on part of their farms, while an additional 20 per cent reported planting cover crops sometime in the past. I

Those who do plant cover crops are doing it on more acreage. Now 68 per cent plant a quarter or more of their farms with cover crops compared 25 per cent in 2021.

 

Quebec pension plan buys more of Saputo

 

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec has increased its stake in dairy company Saputo Inc. to 4.51 per cent with a purchase of 13.5 million shares for about $378 milion.

Saputo is Canada’s largest dairy company with emphasis on cheeses. It has holdings across Canada, in the United States, Australia and Argentina.

The Quebec pension plan first bought into Saputo when Franceso Saputo offered 40 million shares as part of general estate and succession planning.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Jolina Capital Inc., Lino Saputo and other members of the Saputo family acquired the other 26.5 million shares.

Francesco Saputo still holds 2.5 million Saputo shares.

Conestoga Meats supports food bank

 

 

Conestoga Meats has offered to match all donations to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region until Oct. 14.

Executive director Kim Wilhelm said demand has increased by 10 per cent from a year ago and it now serves 50,000 visits per month.

She said clients visit an average of two times per month.

She issued an appeal for donations, saying what individuals give is crucial for the food bank.

Conestoga Meats is owned by 158 hog farmers.

Hog trucker wins appeal

 

William Warner of Thedford has won his appeal against a $13,000 fine involving trucking 270 relatively heavy market hogs to market on Jan. 28.

Warner testified he has 30 years experience trucking hogs and had used the Berdex trailer to haul about 250 loads before that day. 

It had 30 hogs each in eight compartments and 15 each in another two compartments.

Seven were dead and three unable to walk when they arrived at the packing plant where a Canadian Food Inspection Agency official laid charges for over-crowding resulting in a fine of $13,000.

In her decision, Marthanne Robson of the Canada Agriculture Review Tribunal, wrote “I find that the applicant (Warner) took into account the risk factors that could reasonably be viewed as having an impact on the animals’ capacity to withstand loading, confining, transporting and unloading. 

“The applicant relied on their experience using the Berdex

trailer as well as the experience of the driver. 

“The applicant relied on visual inspection not a weight and space density calculation.”

She further wrote that “the hogs did not exhibit any physical signs of overcrowding other than the common stress of transportation.”

Farmers win partial victory on Zettler drain

 

Farmers who filed an appeal over delays in constructing the Zettler drain in Brockton have been told their appeal is justified, but the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal lacks jurisdiction to order compensation.

The farmers said delays mean they will be unable to plant crops and they sought compensation.

What the tribunal did do was order Brockton to work faster to obtain permits and begin construction. That was what the lawyer representing the farmers recommended.

The tribunal ordered Brockton to apply for necessary permits from the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority and the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans within 10 days of the tribunal’s decision and “if SVCA requires the engineer’s report to be amended, the respondent municipality shall take all necessary steps to do so without delay.”

The landowners who filed the appeal are Howard, Maxine and Glen Zettler and Gerry and Wilma Sluys and their Sluys Family Farm Inc.