NIVERVILLE, Man. – It was the new Maple Leaf hog processing plant in Brandon that pressured urgent change within Manitoba’s egg industry this year.
Provincial cabinet ministers saw the plant and its jobs established as a result of their decision to retract single-desk selling powers from Manitoba Pork, said the chair of Manitoba Egg Producers.
They pushed the marketing board to withdraw from the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency so egg production could also increase in the province, said Harold Froese.
“Sounds simplistic, but that’s the reality,” said Froese.
Read Also
Agri-business and farms front and centre for Alberta’s Open Farm Days
Open Farm Days continues to enjoy success in its 14th year running, as Alberta farms and agri-businesses were showcased to increase awareness on how food gets to the dinner plate.
During a soul-baring speech to more than 250 people at the annual meeting of Manitoba Egg Producers, Froese dealt with the simmering angst within some egg producer circles.
Some farmers are concerned with the spurt of huge egg barns built this year in Manitoba and have complained to the provincial government and CEMA that the board isn’t representing family farms.
Froese explained changes within the supply- managed commodity are inevitable because of global consumption trends and trade rules.
With the loss of the Crow transportation subsidy in 1995 came louder questions from the provincial government about what egg producers were doing to take advantage of cheaper feed grains, said Froese. Agriculture minister Harry Enns and industry minister Jim Downey set up a group called the Manitoba Egg Industry Steering Committee to brainstorm ideas for growth, said Froese.
He was concerned, since Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments both have “very, very weak support for supply management.”
The committee included representatives from feed companies and processors. They established a goal of doubling egg production through delivering eggs to Canadian Inovatech, a large Winnipeg processor.
Manitoba Egg Producers tried to work through the national agency to get agreement on its plan to produce eggs on top of its quota. The eggs would all be exported in processed form by the plant.
After several years of discussion, the plan was approved in November 1998.
But by that time, three farmers near Altamont, Man., had already built an $8 million egg complex that is operating as not quite a part of the supply-management system, yet not outside it.
Froese said cabinet was worried a similar proposal in Saskatchewan would beat out the Triple S Farms project. Cabinet couldn’t understand why a producer willing to put up the capital for the project wouldn’t be allowed to proceed.
“To put it bluntly, we farted away five years,” said Froese. “We talked and we talked and we’re still talking.”
However, Froese said the egg board has now garnered support from cabinet, thanks to a series of meetings arranged by Enns and Downey.
Changes made to the system in 1998 may not appeal to some farmers now, said Froese, but will give them the tools to change their operations later on if they wish.
“The basic premise of supply management is producers working together for mutual benefit.”
