June 23, 2009

Manitoba’s pork farmers are desperately calling on the provincial government to provide short-term financial assistance in order to help them to weather a series of severe economic challenges.

At an emergency strategy meeting held last night in Morris, Progressive Conservative Leader Hugh McFadyen and Agriculture Critic Ralph Eichler joined more than 500 pork farmers and other stakeholders along with their caucus colleagues, Larry Maguire, Stu Briese, Cliff Graydon, Mavis Taillieu, Kelvin Goertzen, Blaine Pedersen and Peter George Dyck to discuss short-term emergency financial measures to keep the industry afloat through the crisis.

McFadyen said as farm families are grappling with the negative financial impact of issues such as Country of Origin Labelling, low prices, high input costs, the NDP’s hog moratorium, and the impact of H1N1, among others, it’s critical the NDP government acknowledge the crisis and take immediate action today.

“It’s disappointing that the Premier, the Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk or even a single NDP MLA showed up at this emergency meeting to discuss steps to help the industry,” McFadyen said.� “This crisis doesn’t just affect rural Manitoba. Everyone – including the people of Winnipeg – will feel the ripple effects of this crisis whether it is through job losses or higher prices.”

McFadyen called for:

1.� � An immediate sitting of Manitoba’s Standing Committee on Agriculture and Food to hear from pork farmers and policy experts on the crisis;

2.� � Short-term emergency financial measures to keep farm families afloat through the crisis, similar to those taken by the Saskatchewan government, which delivered short-term, time-limited and immediate financial support to pork farmers so they can survive until the expected recovery or, should they chose, exit the industry without catastrophic personal financial hardship.

“Agriculture is essential to the fabric of Manitoba,” McFadyen said. “Pork farming is the economic lifeblood of agriculture and hundreds of communities, large and small, depend on it for survival. If action isn’t taken immediately, our province will be permanently and immeasurably weakened.”

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