An appointed administrator is moving ahead with Saskatchewan’s plan to double chicken production, after the government suspended the operations of two marketing boards earlier this summer.
The Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Broiler Hatching Egg Producers Marketing Board were supposed to implement a four-year expansion plan.
But three months ago, the government suspended the boards and appointed former Canadian Wheat Board policy director Harvey Brooks to take over.
Agriculture minister Clay Serby said the government was worried about how the process was unfolding. He said there was a “strained relationship” between the two boards.
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“There was a real concern here that Saskatchewan was in jeopardy of failing to respond to the opportunity of expansion.”
In November 1998, Saskatchewan signed an agreement with Chicken Farmers of Canada to double production over four years. That meant the allocation of a substantial amount of new quota, Serby said.
The CFS and the Saskatchewan Agri-Food Council, which supervises marketing boards, agreed to an allocation process.
Part of that process is a quota auction to be held for 89 people whose names were on a waiting list to enter the industry.
Under the agreement, names had to be on the list before July 6, 1999. But that has been appealed to the Agri-Food Act appeal committee, which includes the agri-food council members.
Serby met with the suspended CFS board Sept. 7. Members were concerned about the membership of the appeals committee and the future of their board. They also wanted the July 6 cut-off date changed.
“They raise a very legitimate concern as it relates to the makeup of the appeals committee, because they think there are people there who might be in conflict of interest,” Serby said.
“I think it’s imperative upon us to examine that fully.”
But he also told them he could not interfere with the appeal process regarding the quota list deadline.
“What I would do is examine the method in which we’re going to proceed to auction into the future.”
Agri-Food council and appeals committee chair Jim Long said a decision had been reached, but had not yet been approved by the justice department. He said he had not heard the concerns about the appeals committee.
CFS chair Charlie Stueck could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, Brooks said the first auction is set for later this month in Wynyard, and another will likely be held in October. A third is scheduled for next spring.
Brooks said the 72 current producers have already received some quota as part of the expansion plan.
Twenty percent of the money raised from the auctions will go into a development fund for research and product promotion.
The remainder will go into an investment fund.
