Mafia tactics

Dear sir:
We at Cloverleaf Grocery are very proud to sell Sunrise Meat products. Paul, Susan, and their staff are honest, hard-working people who take great pride in their business.
Their products are, by far, the best quality we have in our meat case. We are proud to sell it knowing it is locally-produced.
The allegation made by the Ministry of Agriculture in Toronto, and broadcast over the radio and newspaper that uninspected meat was used in Sunrise’s retail products, has not been demonstrated and needs to be proven or corrected.
The government has—without proof—damaged the reputation of a much-respected business in our community. If the accusations cannot be proven, some kind of restitution and public apology need to be given.
An apology also needs to be given to the local farmers. Use of the words “contaminated” and “unsafe” when describing locally-grown beef is very distasteful, especially when used by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The ministry’s assumption that hanging locally-grown farm beef in the same facility as wild game causes the wild game to be unsafe to eat is nothing short of bizarre. The situation becomes particularly odd when the Ministry of Agriculture tells us it is safe to have graded meat and wild game in the same facility.
I have seen some of the wild game dragged out of the bush and strongly disagree. This is why our wild game processing is done in a separate facility.
For me, this proves that the situation has nothing to do with safety as they would have us believe. Just what is the Ministry of Agriculture’s agenda? Our local farmers have suffered enough hardship. We need an explanation.
What happened to the common sense approach the ministry had in September of 2004? The regulation was not even in place until Sept. 6, 2004.
I distinctly remember a reprieve was given at that time because there are no facilities in our district necessary to comply. The phrase “until further notice” comes to mind.
Why the Mafia tactics now? The ministry has to hold some of the responsibility for not informing the district.
It is my sincere hope that at some point soon, some common sense will emerge in all of this. Sunrise Meat, Greensides, and the local farmers are a huge benefit to our district and to us all as consumers.
A law made up in Toronto does not always work here. The Ministry of Agriculture, government officials, and politicians need to understand this.
Yours truly,
Mark Loney
Cloverleaf Grocery
Emo Ont.