The new president of Canada’s cattle producer lobby says he hopes he lives in less tumultuous times than did his predecessor.
Last week at the annual meeting of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association in Ottawa, Alberta foothills rancher Hugh Lynch-Staunton was elected president, replacing retiring Stan Eby from Kincardine, Ont.
Eby’s four years in office were dominated by the BSE crisis, the collapse of prices and exports and the need to win government support and action for the industry.
“Will my time be as high pressure and tumultuous as Stan’s was?” Lynch-Staunton chuckled during an interview after his March 31 election. “I sure hope not.”
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He and two sons run a cow-calf operation and a small backgrounder feedlot at Lundbreck, west of Lethbridge.
And while much of the trauma of the BSE crisis is behind the industry, the veteran Alberta rancher inherits the job while there still is some unfinished business.
The United States border remains closed to export of breeding stock and older animals.
“I think there is a real opportunity for this to be resolved and (U.S agriculture secretary Mike) Johanns has indicated he wants to move on this file,” said the CCA president.
Canadian cattlemen will try to encourage the Americans by continuing to lobby the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to end restrictions on import of
U.S. cattle because of concern about bluetongue and anaplasmosis.
“This has been an irritant for the American industry and rightly so,” he said. “This is not a danger for our industry and we will continue to try to convince CFIA of this. We’re asking the government to move on this.”
Lynch-Staunton also takes the job at a time when the CCA relationship with the federal government has undergone a transformation since the days when the organization viewed the main job of government as staying out of the way.
Since BSE struck in May 2003, the cattle producers’ lobby has had to work closely with a Liberal government, helping to design policies, lobbying for help and even securing some federal financial help for market development and diversification.
The new CCA president will be the first in almost 13 years to be dealing with a Conservative government, a government that represents most of the rural seats where CCA members work and a government that boasts a Lynch-Staunton among its members – Conservative senator John Lynch-Staunton from Quebec, Hugh’s cousin.
He said a change in government should not matter.
“The CCA in recent years decided we had to work as closely as we can with the government of the day regardless of party,” said Lynch-Staunton. “We had to change our style and I don’t think you’ll see it change back. The reality of the world is that the cattle industry still wants to earn its living from the marketplace but in the modern world, that sometimes is disrupted, and you need a partnership with government to deal with it.”
Asked how his leadership style will differ from the low-key affable Eby, he said: “My tongue may run on a bit longer than his did and I’m trying to curb that. I’ve got a big hat and riding boots and Stan didn’t, but I don’t think you’ll see any dramatic changes.”
