Are you out of your mind?????????

[hillsdown]

Who the HE double LL wrote this and what the HE double LL does it have to do with Alberta producers???????? :???: :???:

Shame on you HYRIH..........


More Trouble for Alberta Beef
Nov, 04 2007 - 7:00 AM


BALZAC/ALBERTA - U.S. regulators say they will tighten restrictions on meat and poultry products from Canada because of a now-defunct Alberta company.

Rancher's Beef in Balzac was linked in October to a multistate outbreak of E. coli infections.

But the president of the Canadian Beef Export Federation says there were three new toxic strains of E. coli found and only the Canadian one was traced back to its source.

He says the Americans are not putting the same level of scrutiny on their own industry and are just trying to deal with a ``born-at-home public relations issue.'

Canadian officials are warning consumers not to consume Rancher's products purchased last summer.

They say the products aren't for sale, but some people may still have products in their freezers.
- Canadian Press

I could not find the author of this,Neil I hope it isn't you..........

 

[PORKER]

CERTAIN BEEF PRODUCTS MAY CONTAIN E. coli O157:H7 BACTERIA
Related alerts: 2007-10-26 | 2007-10-27 | 2007-11-02 | 2007-11-03

OTTAWA, November 3, 2007 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the various beef products described below because these products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

The affected products described below are being recalled as a result of the CFIA's investigation and traceback conducted on contaminated beef involving Ranchers Beef Ltd. (Establishment 630), Balzac, Alberta.

Store Location Product Description Dates Sold
B & D Meats
Weyburn, SK
Lean ground beef
Hamburgers (beef patties) Between July 24th and July 31st, 2007 inclusive.
Blackmans Butcher Shop
Grande Prairie, AB
Chuck-eye roll|
Chuck-eye steak
"Pure Beef Patties" (9 lb. box, frozen)
"Seasoned Lean Beef Patties" (9 lb. box, frozen)
Lean ground beef Between Aug. 3rd and Aug. 24th, 2007 inclusive.
Boryski's Butcher Block
Saskatoon, SK
Rib-eye steak
Strip loin steak Between July 30th and Aug. 4th, 2007 inclusive.
Consumer Frosted Foods
Kenora, ON
Chuck roast
Lip-on rib-eye roast
Lip-on rib-eye steak
Stewing beef Between July 30th and Aug. 10th, 2007 inclusive.
Cottom Cold Storage Meats
Windsor, ON
Ground beef (all types)
Steak (all types) Between June 27th and July 3rd, 2007 inclusive.
Country Good Meats
Thunder Bay, ON
Blade steak
Boneless blade roast
Extra lean ground beef
Lean ground beef
Pot roast
Rib-eye roast
Rib-eye steak
Stewing beef Between July 27th and Aug. 14th, 2007 inclusive.
Dunrobin Village Meat Co. Ltd.
Dunrobin, ON
Lean ground beef
Regular ground beef
Sirloin steak Between June 26th and July 7th, 2007 inclusive.
Food Fare
Winnipeg, MB
Boneless chuck blade roast
Boneless chuck blade steak
Boneless crossrib roast
Boneless crossrib steak
Ground beef (all types) Between July 23rd and Aug. 18th, 2007 inclusive.
Frostland Meats trading as Dutch Meat Market
Winnipeg, MB
Regular ground beef
Rib-eye steaks

Between Aug. 9th and
Aug. 12th, 2007 inclusive.
Grey County Meats
Maxwell, ON
Top sirloin steak Between June 26th and Aug. 4th inclusive.


Harry's Foods
Winnipeg, MB
Bulk pac boneless blade steak
Chuck blade roast boneless
Chuck blade steak boneless
Cross rib roast boneless
Cross rib steak boneless
Ground beef extra lean
Ground beef lean
Regular ground beef
Fresh stewing beef

Between July 23rd and Aug. 17th, 2007 inclusive.
Jankes Meat
Weyburn, SK
Rib-eye (steak)
Seasoned burgers
(approx. 5 lb cases)

Between July 24th and July 29th, 2007 inclusive, and between Aug. 20th and Aug. 26th, 2007 inclusive.
Moncion Grocers Petawawa Market
Petawawa, ON
Lean ground beef
Medium ground beef
Regular ground beef
Top sirloin steak
Top sirloin roast Between June 26th and July 7th, 2007 inclusive.
Northern Meat Packers Ltd.
Trout Creek, ON
"Hamburger" (ground beef)
Top sirloin steak Between June 26th and June 30th, 2007 inclusive.
P.S. Shop at Home
Scarborough, ON
Sirloin steak Between June 29th and July 29th, 2007 inclusive.
Renco Foods
Thunder Bay, ON
Blade steak
Boneless blade roast
Cross rib steak
Cross rib roast
Lean ground beef
Lip-on rib-eye steak
Medium ground beef
Regular ground beef Between July 27th and Aug. 14th, 2007 inclusive.
Toronto Wholesale Meats
Toronto, ON
"Arrosto" (Italian roast)
Steak (all types)
"Stew" (stewing beef) Between June 26th and June 30th, 2007 inclusive.

The affected products described above are likely no longer available for sale. Consumers who may have previously purchased these products and still have them in their freezers, are advised not to consume these products.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

The list of affected stores and products will be updated as necessary while the CFIA's investigation and traceback continues.

Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

The retailers are voluntarily recalling any affected products that may still be in the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recalls.
While Canadian government agencies and cattle producer organizations had yet to officially comment Sunday, the Canadian Press (CP) news agency quoted Ted Haney, president of the Canadian Beef Export Federation, as saying major beef processors in Canada had already decided to either shut down for the next few days or slow their production and not ship to the U.S.
For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735.

For information on E. coli O157:H7, visit the Food Facts web page at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/ecolie.shtml.

For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.

 

[Mrs.Greg]

Welcome to rancher Bullshite session Hillsdown...get used to this crap, I'm not sure who wrote the above but heres a piece written by Neil





Suddenly the scene switches from oil to beef. Hey, it's Alberta, what did you expect?

Ranchers Beef Ltd. of Balzac collapsed on Aug.15 after company president Tony Martinez reported in a court affidavit that his outfit was "in the midst of a severe liquidity crisis".

In other words it was broke. And likely would have stayed that way if the United States Department of Agriculture hadn't blown the whistle on what Ranchers and the feds' controversial Canadian Food Inspection Agency were doing - or apparently NOT doing -last summer.

Which might or might not have resulted in the death of "one elderly individual" from E. coli poisoning, another 44 cases in Canada, plus 40 cases with 26 "known hospitalizations" as of last Friday in the U.S.

The fallout has been spectacular after Topps Meat -which billed itself as "the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers" - was forced to recall 21.7 million pounds of ground beef.



As a result of the recall's "economic impact," Topps went bottoms up on Oct. 5.

"This is tragic for all concerned," sighed Topps's chief operating officer, Anthony D'Urso.

But when the USDA's food safety and inspection service went looking for the bug's "NDA fingerprints," they led back to Balzac.

The CFIA, in typical butt-covering mode, identified the dirty plant only as "a meat facility in Alberta."

But the Americans don't play by Stephen Harper's rules and fingered the fingerprints as coming from "Ranchers Beef Ltd, Canadian establishment 630."

And it gets even more confusing when you dig into the USDA notice, which reveals: "on one or more days Ranchers Beef may have retested, found negative, and exported boneless beef manufacturing trimmings that had originally tested presumptive positive for E. coli."

Say it ain't so.

The investigations are continuing Stateside. But the fingers are already being pointed north of the Medicine Line.

Especially after the company president revealed what Ranchers was, how it got here and who put up the bulk of the money behind it.

The company business plan was "developed in the wake of the 2003 BSE crisis," Martinez told the court, as a result of the "near decimation" of the Canadian cattle industry when the U.S. border was closed.

And it wasn't just a brainwave of 45 unidentified ranchers plus Sunterra Foods and Picture Butte feedlot kingpin Cor Van Raay.

In an attempt to "ameliorate the reliance" on U.S. markets, the Alberta and federal governments "developed policies to encourage construction of Canadian-based meat processing facilities."

Ranchers was "in response to the government policy."

And our dough.

The feasibility study costs were split between the partners and the Alberta Tories. Then the taxpayers' grease really started to roll.

There was a $46.5-million loan from Alberta Treasury Branches, the feds' Business Development Bank and the National Bank of Canada.

A $20-million "credit enhancement" from the federal ag department added to the taxpayers' exposure.

The Alberta Agricultural Financial Services also kicked in $9.35 million in "credit facilities" so investors could "purchase" company preferred shares.

Construction of the plant began in June 2006, but by last August, Martinez was reporting "current liabilities of $12.4 million" and "insufficient current assets to meet current obligations."

And he went to court to seek creditor protection after Premier Ed Stelmach wisely turned down a last-minute cash injection.

He blamed "sustained and anomalous" live cattle prices and "U.S.-based cattle processing facilities" driving up cattle costs.

And now there are legal vultures hovering over the border planning on following the NDA fingerprints all the way back to the Alberta Tories and their BSE Bingo boondoggle.

"We will clearly have to look at additional assets," said Seattle lawyer Bill Marler, who has already filed a class-action suit against Topps.

"We're going upstream looking at who supplied the meat," said Marler, who has already collected more than $250 million in food poisoning litigation. "Who owns them and what's their backing."

I thought this was a government that's out of the business of being in business?

 

[PORKER]

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735.
The CFIA, in typical butt-covering mode, identified the dirty plant only as "a meat facility in Alberta."

 

[Jason]

If anyone would actually read the financials of Ranchers Beef that are included in the Martinez document, it's easy to see a business that never had a chance.

2005 saw sales of nearly 67 million dollars but less than 3 million dollars of "profit" after direct expenses. 4.4% return after direct expenses will never sustain any business.

2006 saw sales of about half of 2005 but "profit" after direct expenses only increased to 10%.

If you aren't in the 25-30% range after direct expenses you will be out of business soon.

Direct government grants are less than 2 million in the plant, loans from banks ownded by the governmnet are still loans.

The plant could have been free and clear and it would have likely failed.