THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2011
VOL. 89 | NO. 47 | $3.75
Inside a combine factory | P36
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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AGRIBITION | CATTLE FITTING
Agribition monitors animal welfare Charolais death | No changes, but systems are in place to protect animals, say organizers BY KAREN BRIERE REGINA BUREAU
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Agribition organizers expect high quality animals and good animal care will be the winning combination at this year’s event. For more from Agribition see page 75. | WILLIAM DEKAY PHOTO
ican show industry has apparently grappled with more than Canadian shows. Lewis said stories coming out of steer shows in the U.S. suggest people are injecting silicone into animals or air under the hide to fill them out. The carcasses of these animals are not edible. “I do not see it happening here and I only hear about it in the U.S.,” he said. Lewis said he has fewer concerns with surface alteration such as applying talc to animals to make them appear whiter, but he said the Hereford breed’s decision to ban aerosol
sprays is a good one. It puts everyone on the same playing field. “I always say the good judges will see through that anyway,” he said. Gordon Stephenson, a former Agribition manager and president and now general manager of the Canadian Hereford Association, called last year’s incident appalling. “I thought that we were over this kind of stuff,” he said. “I think we were all as cattle exhibitors quite embarrassed and offended that this would happen.” The idea that people are “turning a blind eye” to this type of behaviour is
concerning, he added. The chair of the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan, Mark Silzer, said the industry can’t ignore that animal welfare is an issue that is here to stay. “Most producers are responsible,” he said. “You get a couple of (incidents) and that casts an entire industry in a bad light.” The incident prompted the Canadian Charolais Association to post updated show rules regarding ethical treatment of animals on its website. AGRIBITION MONITORS PAGE 2
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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN | WTO RULING
Canada wins COOL challenge against U.S. BY BARBARA DUCKWORTH CALGARY BUREAU
AIRDRIE, Alta. — The World Trade Organization has ruled in favour of Canada and Mexico in their complaint against the U.S. mandatory country-of-origin labelling legislation. However, it is just the first step in getting the rule changed.
“While winning this case as soundly as we have is extremely gratifying, it is only a means to an end and not an end in itself,” said Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Travis Toews. Added agriculture minister Gerry Ritz: “While our work does not end here, it is a very vital step in the road to recovery.” The trade panel was unanimous in
its decision, which was released in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 18. The ruling supports Canada’s position that parts of the labelling law discriminate against cattle and hogs imported into the United States from Canada to the detriment of Canadian producers. The CCA and the Canadian Pork Council argued COOL increased costs for U.S. companies that import
Canadian animals and reduced the competiveness of Canadian livestock in the U.S. market. The WTO confirmed that COOL has had this effect. The U.S. has 60 days to appeal the ruling, although negotiations to change the rule are possible. access=subscriber section=news,livestock,none
SEE CANADA WINS COOL CASE, PAGE 3
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u|xhHEEJBy00001pzYv/:= NOVEMBER 24, 2011 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4 The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Inc. Publisher, Larry Hertz Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240; Registration No. 10676
Cattle industr y officials were expecting to see more unofficial policing in the barns at Canadian Western Agribition this week following the death of a cow last year. Show chief executive officer Marty Seymour said anyone who sees misconduct should report it, particularly as it relates to animal welfare. Last year, a two-year-old Charolais cow died during the breed show after a tube was placed in its throat and it was pumped full of soda pop to make it appear fuller and improve its odds in the ring. Agribition officials said the autopsy was inconclusive as to cause of death, but there was enough information available from witnesses to ban the owners of the cow for three years. The incident is an example of what some exhibitors think they need to do to win, said Alberta veterinarian Roy Lewis, who serves as the show vet at Edmonton’s Farmfair. But breeders who bring good animals to town can win without such tactics, he said, and fitters can’t likely do enough at a show to make a mediocre animal a winner. “Everybody felt bad for the animal and bad for the breed and (it created) just a tarnished image on the whole showing thing,” Lewis said in an interview. “The good that came out of that is an increased awareness.” Altering an animal’s appearance or disposition was a more common practice years ago and one the Amer-