Farmers not only victims of ‘mad cow’ scare

With all the publicity and misinformation over bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, in recent weeks, the federal and provincial governments finally have moved to provide emergency funds for farmers who are most directly affected.
Last Tuesday (June 17), Ottawa and Queen’s Park jointly announced a package of $460 million, which will be used to sustain the cattle industry until the U.S. border once again is open to Canadian beef.
But what has not been as publicly recognized is that the U.S. embargo applies not only to beef and beef products, but to all ruminants—which includes deer, moose, elk, bison, and caribou.
“Everything is banned except a hunter can bring in two sets of antlers, any number of hides, or finished trophies, but no meat,” said Ed Curlett, spokesman for the Animal and Plant Healthy Inspection Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Tannis Drysdale, president of the Northwestern Ontario Association of Chambers of Commerce (NOACC), said last week that Ottawa and Queen’s Park must act quickly to prevent devastation to the northern economy.
But she’s not convinced the governments understand that.
“What about our tourism operators?” she asked. “Are we going to forget about them again?”
Drysdale said since the province failed to deliver on its promise to appoint three northern reps to the Northern Tourism Marketing Corp. back in January, it appears content to let matters go.
And that is not acceptable, she added.
With the fall hunting season only three months away, Drysdale fears the American hunters who traditionally make up the bulk of the income for outfitters at that time of the year will stay home if the ban is not lifted soon.
“Why should they [Americans] come here if they can’t take their meat home?” she reasoned.
“The government(s) should be addressing this right now, not three months from now,” she stressed.
Drysdale said tourism represents a greater slice of the northern economy than does agriculture and even here in Rainy River District, it’s contribution is substantial.
“The impact [of the meat ban] on the tourist industry in the Rainy River District will be as significant as on the agricultural sector,” she predicted.
There’s already evidence it could be a gloomy fall for area outfitters and hunting guides.
Laurie Marcil, with the Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters (NOTO), says she has been hearing from members that there have been a number of cancellations so far.
“I’m afraid for our industry this year,” Marcil said from her office in North Bay. “But I think the likelihood of the ban still being around in the fall is small.”
But for some operators, the damage already is being felt.
Al Meline, of Meline’s Resort in Nestor Falls, said his business already has been affected—and he fears there’s worse to come if the ban isn’t lifted soon.
“It would absolutely devastate us,” Meline said. “I’m already down 40 percent in bookings for the fall and I’m getting more cancellations daily.
“It’s got to the point where I’m afraid to answer the phone.
“Between SARS, BSE, and Canada’s view on Iraq, it’s just crazy,” he remarked. “It’s just one thing after another.”
Meline believes it’s not just the fallout from mad cow disease that is hurting business. Other economic and political issues have conspired to make Canada, in general, a less attractive destination for American tourists and their money—and these issues won’t just go away if and when the ban is lifted.
Canada’s opposition to the war in Iraq, and certain anti-American comments that came out of Ottawa, may be bigger factors than many realize, he said.
“I hear from a lot of Americans,” Meline noted. “They’re very patriotic people—especially those from south of the Mason-Dixie line—and some of them really resent what we did.
“And, of course, the prime minister is no help,” he added. “The man just won’t shut up. It seems every time he opens his mouth, it costs me money.
“I got an e-mail from a lady in Texas the other day that said, ‘Y’all suck,’” Meline said. “Yeah, they’re still mad at us.”
And it’s not just outfitters who are feeling the crunch. Meline said the local fuel distributor who services the camps has seen a 50 percent drop in his sales, too.
Jeremy Dixon, with Canoe Canada Outfitters in Atikokan, shares Meline’s concerns. Although he has yet to see a significant drop in bookings for this fall, he’s concerned he could lose a lot of money if things aren’t rectified soon.
“The average [non-resident] moose hunter across the province spends $3,000-$3,500,” said Dixon. “Here, in the north, he spends $5,000-$6,000.
“For our regular drive-in hunt, which includes a cabin, the base rate is $2,595 [U.S.],” he noted. “That provides one adult tag for two hunters.”
On a province-wide basis, the potential lost income amounts to millions of dollars. Last year, the Ministry of Natural Resources issued 6,454 non-resident deer and moose tags—almost all of which were purchased by Americans.
In Fort Frances District alone (which includes Atikokan), there were 282 moose permits and 860 deer permits issued.
Still, not all tourist operators are predicting doom and gloom.
Angie Korzinski, owner of Rusty Myers Flying Service Ltd. here in Fort Frances, said although her bookings are off about 30 percent from last year, she feels things will pick up by the time hunting season rolls around.
“The American economy is a bit soft right now and there’s still some bad blood from the war [in Iraq], but I think we’ll be OK,” she predicted.
That only is if the ban comes off and relations with our largest trading partner return to normal in the next few weeks. Otherwise, it could be a long, cold winter for many in Northwestern Ontario.
(Fort Frances Times)