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July 24, 2014
Hall of Fame The 2014 inductees » Pg 8
Double trouble for Maple Leaf Pigs and people to process them are in short supply By Allan Dawson co-operator staff /brandon
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etting more pigs and people to process them into Maple Leaf Foods’ hog-killing plant in Brandon isn’t as simple as putting more dollars on the table, said the plant’s Morgan Curran-Blaney. “There’s not enough (pigs) so you end up stealing from somebody else,” Curran-Blaney told reporters July 10 after speaking at the Keystone Agricultural Producers’ general council meeting. “The same goes on the employee side. In terms of paying, our issue isn’t in terms of wages, our issue is in terms of access to people. “The unemployment rates in Brandon are extremely low and that’s an issue.” An upper-end wage at Maple Leaf is $19 an hour, plus benefits, he said. Maple Leaf Foods’ plant is a major contributor to Brandon’s economy, Curran-Blaney said. The plant is also critical to Manitoba’s hog producers and the provincial economy, added Andrew Dickson, general manager of the Manitoba Pork Council (see sidebar on page 7). Neither shortage is easily overcome. Unemployment is low in southern Manitoba and workers See MAPLE LEAF on page 6 »
F LO O D A S S I STA N C E
SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 72, No. 30
manitobacooperator.ca
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Hazy disaster aid outlook for flooded farmers There are ongoing discussions, but no action for producers still seeking compensation for 2012 flooding
A field of hay was under water within hours after there was an intentional breach on the west side of the Portage Diversion July 4. It would have been the first hay harvested from the field since 2010. Local landowners want help. Photo: Sandi Knight By Shannon VanRaes co-operator staff
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ontrary to reports last week, gover nments have not ruled out additional assistance through AgriRecovery for flooded Prairie farmers, an official with Agriculture Minister G err y Ritz’s office said Monday. However, it’s not officially on the table either — at least not yet. The minister’s office was busy trying to clarify reports emerging from a July 18 press conference with Ritz and provincial agriculture
ministers following their meeting in Winnipeg last week. Those reports, based on comments made at the press conference, indicated AgriRecovery was not being considered in lieu of enhancements made to crop insurance and other disaster assistance programs. “Well, there are a number of programs that will address the flooding. The DFAA (Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements), PDAP (Provincial Disaster Assistance Program), the province and the federal government, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the federal gov-
ernment will be having discussions on what’s the best way forward in that,” Ritz told reporters. “Farmers know they are well served by the programs that are there,” said Ritz, adding improvements were made to risk management programs following the 2011 flood. “The big change between 2011 and this flood is that unseeded acres and flooded acres are now covered under crop insurance,” he said. “So it’s much more bankable and predictable and stable than waiting for an ad hoc payment under something like AgriRecovery.”
However, the minister’s aide later said the minister was actually responding to a question about additional support for producers affected by multi-year losses related to one year’s flood. There are no provisions within AgriRecovery to cover multi-year losses resulting from one disaster, Ritz said. Following the 2011 flood, some Manitoba farmers saw water linger on their land, making seeding impossible in 2012. They want to be compensated for that lost year, especially where flooding See PROGRAMS on page 6 »
FLOODED: CLEANING UP THE AFTERMATH OF 2014 » PG 12