Band-Aid not needed

Building an abattoir in the west end of the district to provincial standards, rather than to more stringent federal ones, may seem tempting on paper—especially to district cattle farmers feeling the crunch from the “mad cow” crisis.
For one thing, as Peter Spuzak, president of the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association, told delegates attending Saturday’s annual meeting of the Rainy River District Municipal Association in Barwick, a provincial facility would cost about half the price ($1.5 million instead of $3 million).
And that, combined with less red tape, would mean getting it up and running in less time—basically within a year if the rest of the funding comes through.
As well, so-called exotic animals, such as bison and elk, being raised by some district farmers require separate handling procedures at a federally-designated plant, but not so in a provincial one.
Mr. Spuzak also brushed aside concerns that animals processed in a provincial facility only can be sold within Ontario, rather than across Canada and overseas (including the United States), saying the proposed abattoir would be limited to 30 head a day anyway—not to mention the cattle glut so many other provinces are facing these days, too.
But in an effort to come up with a quick fix to the local cattle industry’s woes, the big picture is being ignored. The emphasis to date has been on getting the building up, not on where the meat will be marketed once it’s been processed (let alone what products will be made).
A marketing strategy that cuts your products out of potentially-lucrative markets here in Canada, south of the border into the U.S., and overseas to Europe and the Far East makes no sense.
Northwestern Ontario alone cannot support an abattoir.
An abattoir is long overdue in Rainy River District, but it must be done right, with proper planning and vision, in order to be successful in the long run. And that means efforts should re-focus on a federally-designated facility instead of a provincial one.
A long-term solution is needed, not a Band-Aid.