News out of Queen’s Park on Monday has brought smiles and sighs of relief to beleaguered local cattle farmers as the province earmarked $241,200 to build an abattoir in the west end of the district.
Northern Development and Mines minister Jim Wilson said the funding represents an example of the government’s commitment to a sustainable and productive agricultural industry in the northwest.
But to local farmers, it represents a much-needed shot-in-the-arm given sales and exports of beef have been drastically curtailed since the U.S. border was closed to Canadian imports last month.
Now, farmers who currently are shipping their livestock to Winnipeg or Dryden will be able to offer district consumers locally-raised and locally-processed meat.
The proposed abattoir also will be able to handle hogs, elk, bison, and sheep.
The provincial funding is being channelled through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. and was arranged by the Rainy River Future Development Corp. (RRFDC), which has been working since January to seal the deal.
RRFDC manager Geoff Gillon was understandably pleased at the news.
“This is just great,” he enthused. “The project has been approved and now it’s just a matter of selecting the site for the plant and getting to work.”
Two pieces of land currently are under consideration and Gillon said either one will be ideal. One is located in Morley near Stratton while the other is in the west end of Chapple Township.
Once the location has been chosen, construction should begin this fall, with a tentative opening date in late spring next year.
“This is going to be a federal abattoir, which meets higher standards than provincial facilities,” Gillon said. “Then we intend to have it certified under EU [European Union] standards so we can begin exports immediately.
“There’s already a market for bison meat in Germany,” he noting, adding he doesn’t anticipate any obstacles in achieving these certifications.
Gillon said the new abattoir represents more than just a convenient location for district farmers to have their livestock butchered. He sees it as a critical step to further development in the industry.
“We are looking to develop a value-added industry to the district, as well,” he explained. “This will allow producers in the district to export finished products like sausages and processed meat, as well as carcasses and boxed cuts.”
Gillon said it also will give nervous consumers an alternative to buying commercially-produced beef by offering locally-produced, grass-fed meat instead.
“There’s definitely a movement toward more organically-grown food and this plant will offer those choices,” he remarked.
Reaction from local officials was equally enthusiastic. Chapple Reeve Bill Clink said it was “great news,” and he was happy no matter where the abattoir is located.
“Whether it goes in Morley or Chapple, it’s going to benefit everybody,” he said.
“This provincial funding will help generate new, long-term opportunities in the region’s agricultural sector,” La Vallee Reeve Ken McKinnon said in a press released issued Monday afternoon by the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.
“The new abattoir will benefit livestock producers in Rainy River for years to come.”
Emo Reeve Russ Fortier noted the new abattoir will give district consumers options that didn’t exist before. And in light of the concerns over BSE (mad cow disease), it should increase the market for local beef and other meat products.
“It’s a chance to process local beef and it gives people a chance to buy locally,” said Reeve Fortier. “A lot of people have concerns about buying beef and now they can buy locally and know what their getting.”
District cattle farmer Tom Morrish called the news “the best thing I’ve heard in a long time,” adding the biggest advantage for him personally was the ability to deal with small lots of cattle.
Morrish currently has his animals shipped to Winnipeg in the fall, but the cost of sending only one or two animals was prohibitive. Now, he and other farmers can ship their animals as soon as they are ready for market instead of waiting until they have enough to make it cost-effective.
For producers of alternative and exotic livestock, the news was equally welcome. Deb Cornell raises elk on her farm near Devlin and was thrilled with Monday’s funding announcement.
“We’ve been taking our elk to Dryden, which is not a federally-inspected facility,” she noted. “This new one will open up doors for us, particularly in the export market.”
Cornell said there’s a significant market for elk in places like Scandinavia and in order to service that market, she had to ship her animals to a federally-inspected plant in southern Ontario.
Soon that no longer will be necessary.
Willard Peters is a bison farmer in Rainy River and up until now, he’s been shipping his animals to Rockford, N.D. for butchering.
But the U.S. embargo on Canadian beef also applies to other ruminants like bison so in the future, he won’t be held hostage by circumstances beyond his control.
“This definitely gives us an option,” said Peters.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
