Plans to operate a super barn in south-central Manitoba to produce industrial export eggs outside the regulated egg marketing system continue to run afoul of the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency.
Two weeks ago in Ottawa, the CEMA board decided it is not prepared to grant an exemption from the system for a 500,000-hen layer operation proposed by George Sanders and his brothers Michael and Odiel at Altamont, Man.
If George Sanders and his Triple S Farms want to produce industrial eggs for export, he must do it through Manitoba Egg Producers, said CEMA first vice-chair Laurent Souligny.
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“There will be no exemptions,” he said from his farm at Ste. Isadore, Que. “As far as we are concerned at this time, we are not prepared to give any exemption to any producer to produce outside the national quota and export quota.”
George Sanders refused requests for an interview.
Manitoba agriculture minister Harry Enns has threatened to pull the province out of the national egg supply management system if CEMA does not back down.
If Sanders starts to market eggs next year without CEMA approval, the rules allow for hefty national fines against the provincial board.
CEMA vice-chair Souligny said Sanders, who has been building a barn through the summer after making a deal with Winnipeg egg processor Canadian Inovatech Inc. for the production from half-a-million birds, must be willing to make an application through the provincial marketing board.
And he would have to occupy part of Manitoba’s over-quota industrial allocation to be shared among all producers interested in the export market.
Manitoba’s entire export allotment is not expected to reach more than 200,000 birds next year.
Penny Kelly, general manager of Manitoba Egg Producers, said last week the provincial board is not prepared to champion the Sanders proposal but it is not opposing it.
The ball is in CEMA’s court.
“Our view is that it is better to have an individual within the regulatory framework, both ours and CEMA’s, than to have someone working outside the system,” she said. “We have reviewed the proposal put forward by Mr. Sanders and have agreed that if all the terms and conditions that he identified were adhered to, we would not object at the CEMA table.”
But they do not see a place for a proposal the size of Sanders’ inside the provincial system. “He is applying for an exemption because he doesn’t fit into anyone’s box.”
Sanders and Inovatech have promised the eggs will be shipped abroad and will not not leak into the domestic supply.
The CEMA board meets again in November to debate 1999 production allocations.
The Sanders proposal could come up again, said the agency official.
“If the provincial board wants this, they should bring it to CEMA,” said Souligny. “We’re hoping in November that Mr. Sanders will come back through the provincial board if they want extra allocation.”
He said the Manitoba board “appears to have a problem with this. They would like to treat all producers on an equal base.”
