CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island -- The red meat sector on P.E.I. is in a major state of crisis and the premier should stop assuming agriculture will help the province through an economic downturn, say farm leaders from across the province.
Leaders from some of the Island's main agricultural sectors held a joint news conference Monday to express their displeasure at some statements made recently by Premier Robert Ghiz regarding the state of the P.E.I. economy.
After attending a first ministers meeting in Toronto last week, Ghiz said he believes the Island is well-positioned to weather the current economic storm.
"We don't build cars. We sell potatoes and seafood products. During a slowing economic time, people may not buy cars, but they will continue to buy food products," he said in an interview Nov. 10.
John Colville, a beef farmer and representative of the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture, said Monday the province's livestock sector is on the verge of collapsing with an almost deci-mated hog industry and the beef sector just barely staying alive.
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With these kinds of comments, the premier gives an impression these suffering industries are P.E.I.'s saviour, when in reality they're the ones that need saving, Colville said.
"Government should not assume that agriculture will pull P.E.I. through an economic downturn without working with industry to fix the broken spokes of the wheel," he said.
Farm leaders are demanding a meeting with cabinet to discuss the current state of crisis being felt by the red meat sector and the nonchalance they feel coming from government.
Many factors have led to the current downturns in the industry, including the high Cana-dian dollar, the BSE outbreaks and volatile pricing for shipping and feed stocks, said Cam-eron MacDonald, chair of the P.E.I. Cattle Producers Association.
And with new obstacles now arising, including reduced demand for Canadian beef, imme-diate assistance is necessary, MacDonald said.
"My purpose for coming here today is to stress the importance for government to act im-mediately to prevent a further decline on the industry before it's too late."
They are asking the province for short-term funding for beef and hog farmers to help them through the current crisis. But it's not the first time they've done so.
Last May, Island producers presented a list of resolutions to the government they wanted to see implemented, including short-term relief measures.
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Those requests to the government have so far been ignored, Colville said.
Now, grain, dairy and potato producers are promising to work together with the beef and hog industries to secure the much-needed help.
"What we're talking about is the Island landscape being threatened," said David Mol, chair of the P.E.I. Grains and Proteins council.
While driving along a rural highway in Alberta recently in an area he called "cattle coun-try," Mol said he was saddened to see so many broken-down corrals and rusty equipment piled up along the side of the road.
"The look of prosperity was gone, but you could see what it used to look like and you could see the pride that had been put into the places, but you could see the neglect that's taken
place," Mol said.
"P.E.I. doesn't need to turn into a place like that. We have to really need to look at how the livestock sector has kept the Island emerald green."
