As some MPs see it, one of the casualties of the BSE crisis appears to be the reputation of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association as the voice of cattle producers.
MPs from both sides of the Commons last week challenged the CCA for its support of the federal government’s BSE recovery plan.
“I met with the CCA and heard what they were proposing, but I also met with a lot of cattle producers right across the country who are members of CCA and sometimes there was a significant disconnect between what the CCA was proposing and what its members wanted,” Conservative agriculture critic Diane Finley said in an Oct. 7 interview.
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“I think it’s fascinating that in the last 10 months or so, the criticism of the Liberal party by the CCA has declined substantially. Maybe they think they can get more money with honey but their opinion doesn’t change the facts that the money isn’t there, the programs aren’t there, the information isn’t there.”
During an emergency House of Commons debate on the federal BSE issue late into the night Oct. 7, federal agriculture minister Andy Mitchell challenged Finley’s criticism of the latest BSE announcement.
“The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association was an integral part of the development of this proposal,” said Mitchell. “(Stan) Eby, who is president of that association, has said very clearly that he felt it was the right thing to do. Does (Finley) think the CCA is incorrect in its support of this program and the design put forward?”
Finley was not alone in answering “yes” to that question.
Edmonton Liberal David Kilgour said producers are complaining that both the CCA and Alberta Beef Producers “do not represent them at this particular time on this particularly vital issue.”
In a later interview, Kilgour said when he was growing up, the CCA was an icon that stood up for the industry often in opposition to government.
The BSE crisis has changed the CCA attitude to one of needing government and working closely with it, helping design programs and then defending them.
“I certainly am hearing from producers that CCA and Alberta Beef Producers are not representing the smaller producer, not representing the feedlots,” said Kilgour.
Another prairie MP who did not want to publicly criticize CCA leaders said privately: “I think they have fallen into the trap of not wanting to bite the hand that is feeding them through BSE programs, but that has a real risk to it when you are supposed to be representing producers who are hurting and maybe not so happy with the programs.”
Mitchell said it is valuable for the government to have a good relationship with farm groups such as the CCA.
