WTO talks fail in Geneva

The general manager of the WTO, Pascal Lamy, has temporarily suspended the negotiations of the Doha Round that were aimed at an increased liberalization of world trade.

“Confronted with this impasse, I believe that the only possible action that I can recommend is to suspend negotiations across the whole Round,” declared Pascal Lamy, general manager of the World Trade Organization (WTO) at an important conference on July 24 in Geneva.

Lamy condemned the “blockage” in which there will “only be losers.” Once again, agriculture is the stumbling block. In talks between the G6 nations (European Union, the United States, Brazil, India, Japan and Australia), the differences of positions between market access and domestic support were “too wide to bridge.” Lamy therefore concluded that it would be impossible to finalize negotiations in 2006, in view of the subsequent agreement required from other countries and the minimum delays necessary to wrap everything up. The negotiations will resume when “the climate is right.” There is no set date, especially since up-coming elections in the American Congress will soon complicate negotiations.

Many observers fear that this breakdown will be a signal for countries preferring to negotiate bi-lateral agreements. Access to markets for the developing countries would risk being put on the back burner.

However, the news was greeted with relief by Quebec Minister of Agriculture Yvon Vallières, who was worried about the possible impact of an agreement on supply management, which represents 40 per cent of the province’s agricultural revenues. The Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) is of the same opinion. President Laurent Pellerin declared that he preferred no agreement at all rather than a text that would have been harmful to supply management and with very little gain in return for export productions, such as pork.

The Fédération des producteurs de cultures commerciales du Québec underlined that the failure of the WTO negotiations will not encourage a rapid end to the direct subsidies under the infamous Farm Bill, and even less so for indirect subsidies. Under the circumstances, Ottawa should quickly adopt a new income support program to replace the existing Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) announced that it was “disappointed” with the failure of negotiations, but still hoped for a reduction in subsidies that distort international trade and also a better access to markets. “Canadian farmers need a new international trade agreement which includes fair and equitable rules for agricultural trade,” declared Bob Friesen, president of the CFA. He further hoped that negotiations would continue between countries, in order to explain the Canadian position.

“We missed the last exit on the autoroute,” exclaimed Peter Mendelson, trade commissioner for the European Union. He also accused the U.S. of lacking flexibility on the question of domestic support for agriculture. On the other hand, American representatives accused other members of the G6 of lacking flexibility on market access. This divergence of opinion clearly shows the sharp differences that exist on the international scene.

“Let’s stop pretending that the U.S. and Europe have a common vision of the world; we must admit that we have different visions and different interests and manage our relations accordingly,” declared Pascal Lamy to the International Herald Tribune on July 22, 2003, while he was then the European trade commissioner. It seems that things have not changed much since then.

Thierry Larivière

Rivière-du-Loup wind power project in question

The Union des producteurs agricoles du Bas-Saint-Laurent is taking the lead, along with Hydro-Quebec trade unions (SCFP-FTQ), to organize a national movement against the chaotic development of wind power if the Quebec government does not declare a moratorium.

“We are setting the stage for a national coalition. There must be a debate on the sustainable development of wind power that does not conflict with agriculture and tourism. In Denmark, farmers and local communities receive up to eight per cent returns. In Quebec, the return is only about one per cent and the profits of these businesses go out-of-province,” declared Claude Guimond, president of the UPA Bas-Saint-Laurent.

It is time to mobilize because, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region alone, between 1300 and 1500 windmills will be built on farm land between Rivière-du-Loup and Baie-des-Sables, near Matane, a distance of 170 kilometres, if all projects are given the green light—and this does not include the corridors reserved for the new hydro lines to transport the electricity.

The mayor of Amqui, Gaétan Ruest, who supports the idea of a moratorium, is up in arms against giant windmill parks near residential areas. “We have to shake things up now. There is a lack of courage to denounce the position taken by the government, which could have taken the opportunity to pay royalties to the regions on this natural resource, without upsetting the status quo. They were in a fantastic position to increase the autonomy of the regions and the local communities, but instead chose to enrich foreign promoters,” exclaimed Ruest, who will preside over an important conference this fall on “wind power development and municipalities,” to be held on October 10 at the Université de Québec a Rimouski.

In the Rivière-du-Loup region, the company Sky Power is questioning its $350 million project, following the refusal of the MRC de Rivière-du-Loup to modify its development plan.

The location of 40 proposed windmills was not in compliance with the interim control by-law (RCI) passed last February. The towers were too close to the Saint Lawrence River, to houses and highways and would have a negative impact on residential areas, on the landscape and on migrating birds. The mayors of 13 municipalities of the MRC would rather wait until the report of the Bureau d’audiences publiques en environnement (BAPE) is tabled in September.

Sky Power has already signed a mutual agreement with Hydro-Québec Production in November 2004 for the construction of a 200-Megawatt windmill park.

Carl Thériault

A $550 million “welfare program”

Farm families with a net income of less than $25,000, or $15,000 for individuals, will receive financial support from Ottawa. The Conservative government has allotted a sum of $550 million for them over two years. At a time when farmers are going through an unprecedented income crisis, the agricultural community sees this new program as a social welfare plan.

“Are they adopting temporary measures in order to abandon the agricultural sector?” questioned the general manager of the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA), Jean Larose. He sees a certain resemblance to the guaranteed minimum income programs put in place in New Zealand and Australia. He believes that this new federal program does not answer the demands made by farmers, especially grain producers, who are still waiting for a genuine development policy.

“They seem to be saying that in extremely difficult situations, the government will give to farmers the same thing they can offer to welfare recipients. What family can live on $25,000? That is not much money. You cannot make machinery payments on that; you cannot buy much fertilizer either. They have no answers to farmers’ concerns, especially in the wake of the failed WTO negotiations. Americans will continue to subsidize their grain. Do we still want Quebec grain?”

To be eligible for the program, farmers must have declared in their 2005 tax return to the Canada Revenue Agency, a gross agricultural income of less than $50,000, before deducting their expenses. They must also have conducted farming activities in 2006. For a family declaring a net income of $20,000 from all sources, including salaries from outside farming, the federal program will pay $5,000 to make up the difference to the $25,000 level.

Producers must apply before October 31. They must also either consent to have an evaluation of their business done by the Canadian Farm Business Advisory Services, take follow-up training courses, or the equivalent.

Vallières disappointed

In Quebec City, the new program was received with surprise and disappointment. The minister of Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ), Yvon Vallières, was notified only on Sunday night, a few hours before the public announcement by his federal counterpart, Chuck Strahl.

“It is a bit strange,” regrets Minister Vallières, “especially since we have our own income support programs in Quebec. I would have expected to be consulted, particularly to make suggestions for a more targeted approach.” Based on 2003 census data, Minister Vallières estimates that over 9,000 Quebec farms with revenues less than $50,000 will not have access to the program. Ottawa estimates that 5,033 producers will be eligible, putting Quebec in fourth place (with 19.4 per cent), behind Alberta (20.1 per cent), Ontario (20.5 per cent) and Saskatchewan (20.8 per cent).

Yvon Vallières does not regard the obligation to register for training courses or to have the Canadian Farm Business Advisory Services evaluate the farm business as being an intrusion of the federal government into provincial jurisdiction. The minister counts on the “equivalent” clause in the program to allow the use of Quebec’s resources. However, he does acknowledge that the program cannot be administered by the Financière agricole du Québec.

Quebec’s agriculture minister also refuses to relate the new federal program to a welfare measure. In view of the difficulties of the present period, he sees Ottawa’s intervention as an ad hoc program. “It is timely,” he admits, “but it seems to me that the program would have been more effective if consultation had taken place beforehand.”

Minister Vallières’ disappointment was all the more evident in view of the fact that Quebec farmers will only receive $50 million of the $950 million announced in the last federal budget to cover the commitment made concerning the CAIS (Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization) program. The new $550 million aid program for low income farm families does, in fact, complete the $1.5 billion announcement made in the last federal budget.

“This formula (to consider inventories in the CAIS) was already being applied in Quebec,” confirmed Yvon Vallières. “The federal aid has already been received, since it was applied retroactively. I have said from the start, I cannot compliment the federal minister on this, especially after all the lobbying made by the farming sector. We expected that the federal government would be more on target after having dangled a billion dollars in front of us in the last budget.”

On another front, the federal minister, Chuck Strahl, announced last week that the final payments of $134 million for the Grains and Oilseed Payment Program (GOPP) have been sent out to 16,000 producers. When all cheques have been sent, 120,000 producers will have received aid totaling $755 million.

Pierre-Yvon Bégin

Organic meat producers want more exposure

Organic meat producers have firmly decided to shed their image as a small niche market and are now investing to improve their marketing plan.

Among organic farming productions, meat production is falling behind. Making up only one per cent of total organic sales, it is in last place—and producers are aware of the weaknesses of their sector. In 2004, a poll conducted among the members of the Syndicat des producteurs de viandes bovines du Québec (SPVBQ) revealed that 87 per cent were dissatisfied with their present marketing plan. In order to solve the problem, a market study on organic meat is presently being done.

A mandate was given to the firm EcoRessources. The results should be available this winter and will be presented at the Syndicat’s annual meeting. “At the present time, marketing initiatives are more or less left to the individual. We wish to develop a collective approach. The study should tell us if it can be profitable,” confirmed Martine Labonté, interim secretary-general of the Fédération de l’agriculture biologique du Québec (FABQ), to which the SPVBQ is affiliated. “Ninety-nine per cent of producers are selling under their own farm label,” confirmed Eugene Demers, president of the SPVBQ. “We also wish to find out where our organic products are going,” adds this beef producer from Leclercville, located in the Lotbinière region.

Because of a lack of market outlets, many producers end up selling their organic beef on the conventional market. “These producers, who pay for certification, lose their added-value,” remarks Demers. The added-value is also lost through transportation costs. “The consumer demand is more concentrated towards Montreal. Transportation costs cut into our profits,” he remarks. SPVBQ’s president hopes that a better marketing system will permit his members to live off their production. “It is difficult to live off it now. Many producers have two or three different productions,” he affirms, noting that he is a maple producer as well as a beef producer.

In search of a fair price

Since the fall of 2005, a study on the cost of production of organic lamb is under way. The results should be available in September. The challenge is to be able to obtain a fair price on the market. “The consumer is not prepared to pay for the added-value,” claims Demers. Organic meat must also overcome the strong prejudices held against frozen meat, in terms of quality. “Frozen meat is just as good as fresh meat, but consumers want fresh. Presently, demand is not high enough to permit putting fresh meat on the shelves. If consumers would buy frozen meat, it would be another story. There is a lot of educating to do,” admits Demers.

Julie Mercier

Research labs are a necessity, say federations

The construction of two new epidemiosurveillance and animal pathology laboratories Saint-Hyacinthe is not a luxury, according to the Fédération des producteurs de bovines du Québec (FPBQ) and the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec (FPLQ). They will replace installations built during the 1970s, which are now considered obsolete. For the federations representing both milk and beef producers, it is an essential investment that will contribute to the development of their sectors

.

“It is a good decision,” declared the president of the FPBQ, Michel Dessureault. He indicated that these new laboratories are important elements of a complete system that stimulates the generation of other projects, notably the realization of a Centre of Expertise for slaughter cattle.

“This type of investment is necessary if we wish to remain at the top of our sector,” stated the president of the FPLQ, Marcel Groleau. He emphasized that the dairy industry in Canada counts on two laboratories, one in Saint-Hyacinthe and a second one in Guelph, Ontario.

At a press conference last Wednesday in Saint-Hyacinthe to announce the construction of the two new laboratories, Premier Jean Charest referred to it as “a strategic investment.” Recalling the BSE crisis and the threat of an avian flu pandemic, he argued that these installations would be beneficial to both farmers and the general public.

“It has become a major societal issue,” he declared “that reminds us of the importance to be prepared, not only to prevent, but also to take rapid action”.

The minister of Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec, Yvon Vallières, added that the Saint-Hyacinthe laboratory will require an investment of $51.3 million. A call for tenders will be issued this month so the construction can start in the fall of 2007, with the facility becoming fully operational in 2009. Under the same roof will be housed both the MAPAQ laboratory for epidemiosurveillance and the diagnostic and pathology laboratory of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Université de Montréal.

Hospital

Minister Vallières also took the opportunity to underline that the federal government was still delaying to make their contribution of $25 million to adequately equip the veterinary hospital presently under construction. To fund this $100-million project, Quebec has already invested $40 million while Ottawa has limited its input to $35 million. According to the normal cost-sharing formula of 60 per cent federal and 40 per cent provincial, Ottawa’s contribution should amount to $60 million. “This investment is essential to ensure that the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the only French-speaking one in the country, will be recognized,” asserted Yvon Vallières.

It should be remembered that because of the deteriorated state of its hospital, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine had its permanent accreditation revoked in 1999 by the American Association of Veterinary Medicine. Representatives of this Association granted a two-year delay to the Faculty to correct the situation. Their next inspection is due in November 2007, while the construction of the new wing and the repairs on the old section will be completed by the summer of 2007.

“Our biggest challenge is to find the necessary funding,” admitted Dean of Faculty Jean Sirois. He added that the construction of the new laboratory would certainly help their cause.

Stale news

The opposition’s critic for agriculture, MNA for Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Maxime Arseneau, severely criticized the Charest government, recalling that the construction of the two laboratories had already been announced in the last April’s budget.

“Instead of announcing the same projects twice,” he declared, “the government should make good on its promise for a program for compulsory labeling of products containing genetically modified organisms.

Curiously, the Parti Québecois MNA for Saint-Hyacinthe, Léandre Dion, was openly pleased to be attending the press conference last Wednesday, and happy to welcome this investment in his riding, which he enjoys describing as the “agri-food technocity” of Quebec.

Pierre-Yvon Bégin

CFA demands a long-term agriculture policy

“The priority of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture remains the preparation of a long term strategy that will encourage growth and ensure the viability and profitability of Canadian farmers.”

That is the resounding message of the president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), Bob Freisen, as he summarized the semi-annual meeting of the leaders of the agricultural sector, held last week in St John’s, Newfoundland. The Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) was represented by its president, Laurent Pellerin, who is also 1 ^st vice-president of the CFA.

Members of the CFA stressed the urgency for immediate measures to fight the farm income crisis. They demanded that Ottawa provide temporary, but proactive, support to producers right away, to enable them to make a viable income during this period. They also asked that the federal government finance flexible, complementary programs to address the particular needs of each province, in addition to the risk management programs already in place.

A resolution in this regard will be sent to Chuck Strahl, the federal minister of Agriculture, whose absence at the meeting of the federation disappointed the representatives of the farming sector.

Delegates also discussed the possible repercussions of the suspension of the Doha round of trade talks at the World Trade Organization. They examined the approach that Canada should adopt in order to take full advantage of bilateral agreements, unfair trade practice disputes and the enforcement of trade regulations.

Pierre-Yvon Bégin

The Harper government injects $11 million into biofuels

Thierry Larivière

The federal minister of Agriculture, Chuck Strahl, announced the creation of an $11 million fund to support initiatives to allow farmers and rural communities to participate and benefit in the development of biofuels.

About $10 million will be available this year to help agricultural producers to submit their project proposals and perfect their business plans. The change comes after repeated criticisms, especially from Ontario farmers, that ethanol plants most often use American corn and frequently neglect local production. Projects in partnership with grain producers, like the one at Varennes in Quebec, could lessen the problem.

The Fédération des producteurs de cultures commerciales du Québec (FPCCQ) sees the federal initiative as too timid and incomplete. “The ability of grain producers to develop biofuel projects themselves is a fundamental issue for our organization. However, this capability will never be achieved as long as the Canadian government fails to come up with concrete solutions to the devastating effects of unfair trade sustained by grain producers in Quebec and Canada,” declared Christian Overbeek, president of the FPCCQ. In other words, until a significant improvement is forthcoming in the Canadian Income Stabilization (CAIS) Program to correct the trading disadvantages caused by the dumping of American corn, it is not realistic to hope that Canadian corn producers will have the means to invest in projects outside their farms. In addition, the prediction of a poor crop season in Quebec only adds to the problem.

Industry’s plan

With or without the help of grain producers, the biofuel industry “has wind in its sails.” The Canadian Association for Renewable Energies (CARE) recently tabled its Canadian Biofuels Strategy. Essentially, it is a series of proposals to boost the country’s production of ethanol and biodiesel. Included are suggestions for fiscal incentives, a minimum standard for gasoline and diesel fuel, a promotional program and direct financial support to the industry. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) greets one of the elements of the CARE plan in particular. “The association has recognized the vital importance for farm producers to be allowed to participate in the development of this industry and to become owners in the treatment plants,” declared Bob Friesen, president of the CFA. In concrete terms, industry is proposing that government funds invested in projects be allotted using a matching formula with farmers, to a maximum of $20 million per ethanol plant and $10 million for biodiesel plants. CARE also recommends investing in research to develop new forms of biofuels. It also wishes that grain being transformed into biofuel be excluded from the requirements of the Canadian Wheat Board and the Canadian Grain Commission.

In the meantime, biofuel projects are multiplying. A 400-million litre per year plant has recently acquired the necessary land for its construction in Loyalist Township, near Lake Ontario. The Harper government’s requirement that gasoline and diesel fuel contain five per cent biofuel by 2010 will create an important market for about 200 million bushels of grain.

A good year for apples!

Slightly fewer apples, but good-sized fruit. That’s the outlook for the apple crop expected this year in Quebec. However, if they follow the North American trend, prices paid to producers should be higher. All that is missing now are cool nights to redden the fruit.

Apple industry specialists are predicting that this year’s harvest should reach 4.93 million bushels, or seven per cent less than last year, which was an average year. Furthermore, a smaller crop is also expected in the rest of Canada—15 per cent less in the competing region of Ontario and 35 per cent less in British Columbia. “The state of Washington, which produces half the North American production, with 125 million bushels last year, was severely hit by hail this year,” confirmed Daniel Ruel, manager of the Fédération des producteurs de pommes du Québec (FPPQ) . “It is possible that they will see losses of 10 to 20 million bushels. Prices have already started to climb”.

Between $11 and $13 a bushel

The FPPQ’s price committee composed of producers, packers and buyers held its first meeting of the season last Monday night. The price paid to producers for Paulared apples, the first of the late varieties was fixed at $13 per bushel for cell-pack and $11 in bags. This is a net improvement over last year, when apples for both types of packaging were being sold for $9.50 per bushel.

Although the rainy weather at the beginning of summer did not favor good pollination of the blossoms, the heat and sun over the last several weeks have accelerated the maturity of the fruit— to the point that harvesting has been advanced by about a week, even in the Quebec City region, which is usually a full week later. Melba and Vista Bella varieties can already be found on the market. The Jersey Macs should follow in a few days. In spite of the advanced harvest of early varieties, the price committee would rather wait before modifying the marketing calendar in order avoid causing confusion. Thus, the Paulareds are still scheduled to arrive on the market on August 27.

Variable Yields

As is the case with other crops this year, apple yields vary between regions, depending on the weather patterns. In the main apple region of Richelieu-Rouville, which produces over one-third of Quebec’s apples, the size of the fruit is good. However, producers had to contend with scab caused by the abundant rains at the beginning of the summer. In addition, there was an estimated 55,000 bushels lost because of hail.

In contrast, in another major apple producing region of Quebec southwest of Montreal, predictions are for a slightly higher yield than last year. Again, the heat had an effect. “What is most remarkable when walking in the orchards is the large size of the early varieties, such as the Vista Bella and the Jersey Macs,” confirmed Paul-Émile Yelle, a MAPAQ advisor. “Because of the frequent rains, apple scab gave producers some headaches but it was fairly well controlled,” noted the specialist. However, hail at the very beginning of July caused heavy damages to about a dozen orchards in the Saint-Antoine-Abbé and Franklin areas. It is estimated that about 50,000 bushels were damaged.

In the Laurentians, the harvest will be lower than in 2005, because of problems with pollination and scab, caused by repeated events of rain at the beginning of the summer. Heavy winds last week did not help either, causing the premature dropping of fruit in many orchards, particularly in the Saint-Joseph-du-Lac area. According to Daniel Lalonde, a MAPAQ advisor of that region, losses could amount to 10 to 15 per cent overall. “Fortunately, there will still be plenty of apples to meet consumer demand.”

In the Quebec City region, yields are expected to be slightly lower than last year. The size of the fruit is “remarkable,” explained Luc Urbain, another MAPAQ advisor. “We received a good dose of sun and rain just at the right time. All that is needed now is a bit more cool weather, especially at night, to increase the color of the apples.” Some hail and scab was seen in the Missisquoi area (about 5 per cent losses), while producers in the Eastern Townships also experienced problems with pollination.

New electronic bulletin board

The 2006 season will also see the implementation of a new marketing tool. It comes in the form of an inventory management program approved by the Régie des marches agricoles and sanctioned at the beginning of the summer. The Fédération des producteurs de pommes du Québec is holding a round of meetings in the various apple regions to explain the operation of this new system to producers. Based on an electronic bulletin board, this method of marketing aims at ensuring that all apples in the Quebec inventory are sold during the marketing period.

Loïc Hamon

Who’s “picking” the apple profits?

“A joint marketing plan is like a tool box. For it to be of any use, it has to be filled.” These are the words of Steve Levasseur, owner of the Coeur de la Pomme apple orchard, located in Frelighsburg. He is a past president and vice-president of the Fédération des Producteurs de pommes du Québec (FPPQ) that administers the apple growers’ joint plan.

The FPPQ has been working to fill this so-called “toolbox” for the last 20 years. “In the beginning, the marketing contract was only two pages long. Now it’s over an inch thick,” exclaimed Levasseur. There is still a lot of work to be done. According to him and his daughter Stéphanie, who will soon become the new owner of the enterprise, it is once again the middlemen and the large food-supermarket chains that are making the most profit.

In apple production, the middlemen are the packers or authorized agents. And they’re becoming more and more numerous, with about 70 in Quebec, with three big buyers controlling 90 per cent of the market. The price of apples is very low because of the heavy competition between packers and the buying power of the supermarket chains, who refuse to cut into their profit margins, according to Levasseur.

For Stéphanie Lavasseur, who is also a director of the FPPQ, it would be better to have fewer packers and have them concentrated in Quebec’s five apple-growing regions. This would also facilitate the quality inspections that determine price. Unfortunately, no single solution to this problem has received unanimous support within the federation.

A bulletin board this fall

The FPPQ is in the process of creating an important new marketing tool. “Packers sometimes buy outside the province because they say they cannot find enough apples here. In October, on the federation’s website, there will be an electronic bulletin board that will allow the authorized agents to be continuously informed on the quantity, quality, varieties and the delivery dates for apples everywhere in Quebec. Registration will be compulsory. We will be conducting regional visits in August to inform producers.”

The Levasseurs, who make apple vinegar, pickles and jellies, also own a cider plant in Dunham, called Fleurs des pommiers.

Denis Lord

A new slaughterhouse for Bécancour in December

Yves Charlebois

The minister of Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ), Yvon Vallières proceeded on August 3 with the official groundbreaking ceremonies on the site of a new slaughterhouse to be built on Port-Royal Street in Bécancour, near the Laviolette Bridge.

The new enterprise will replace the former Morissette abattoir destroyed by fire in the spring of 2004. The two brothers, René and Marcel Morissette have joined with a group of 130 farmers to form the Coopérative des producteurs de viande des Deux Rives. This association has enabled fund raising of the necessary $4.2 million for the construction of the new slaughterhouse.

In an interview, the president of the Coopérative, Jacques Corriveau, also president of l’UPA du Centre-de-Québec, mentioned that the abattoir would have a slaughter capacity of 70,000 animals per year. It will process hogs, cattle, sheep and game animals. It will have provincial certification with permanent inspectors five days a week. If future demand requires it, the building plans have been conceived with federal certification in mind.

The construction of the 12,500 square-foot building should begin within the next several weeks and be completed by next December. It should create about 20 jobs.

For Corriveau, who is also a grain calf producer in Saint-Léonard-d’Aston, “the re-building of the slaughterhouse was a necessity. Before the fire, the abattoir, through the electronic auction, bought 40 per cent of all my calves every year.”

Since it is a small business, flexibility will be an advantage. For example, a producer who has Montreal butcher shops as clients will be able to slaughter his animals here and deliver the meat by refrigerated truck to his Montreal clientele. The Coopérative will also buy animals, to supply local grocery stores and restaurants. The ethnic communities, such as the Muslim population, will also be able to slaughter their animals according to their religious customs.

Less costs and less worries in Abitibi-Témiscamingue

“In a region where two industrial groups control 75 per cent of the transformation of wood from private woodlots, a joint plan is necessary to maintain a certain equilibrium,” says Gérald Brunette, owner and operator of Agrofor, a 1650-hectare agro-forestry enterprise located in Cloutier, a district south of Rouyn-Noranda. He acknowledges that his region’s joint marketing plan considerably reduces the costs and worries that come with marketing his 1,000 to 1,500 tons of poplar each year. “Without the joint plan, I would either be selling at greatly reduced prices or transforming it myself!” He now has time to put his mind to what really interests him—sustainable yields.

As a former manager with the Fédération régionale de l’UPA and the Syndicat des producteurs de bois, Gérald Brunette remembers the many battles, over a period of about 50 years, which were finally won for the recognition of the joint plan and its administrative body, the Syndicat, for the marketing of private woodlots. “Tembec, for example, tried to put the squeeze on us a few years ago. The syndicate simply diverted 15,000 tons of wood from Témiscamingue to Abitibi. The risk of a shortage prompted Tembec to soften its position.”

In addition to regulating the marketing in the best interests of producers, the joint plan also increases fairness through the equalization of transportation costs. “I receive the same price for my wood as someone next door to the plant, even though I am 122 kilometres away from Norbor in La Sarre!” says Brunette.

Using the carrot approach

The administrators of the plan are now taking an interest in conservation and even in the improvement of the forest resource. It is the Syndicat, explains Gérald Brunette that can regulate the quantities sold each year, within the framework of the joint plan, while trying to respect the forest’s regrowth capacity. He emphasizes that the plan also provides a premium (in cooperation with industry) for the quality of harvesting practices and for delivery compliance.

A joint plan, of course, also has its critics. Woodlot pillagers see it as a barrier to their unauthorized practices. Certain producers balk at the sharing of transportation costs. Others would prefer selling directly, without paying a levy. The numbers show that the volume of wood sold from private woodlots has doubled since the end of the 1980s in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, while the levy has remained constant.

Being responsible for a million trees growing on his land, Brunette now thinks less about the joint plan and its confrontations. “These are still babies,” he remarks, taking stock of a group of pines that easily over 25 metres tall. “Just imagine what they will be like in fifty years!”

Camille Beaulieu