1. Why am I obsessed with a foreign trade organization?
Canadians are not obsessed with a Foreign trade organization they are however concerned about what a small and getting smaller mouthy Anti trade US Beef organization that uses lies to destroy consumer confidence in product they produce is saying and doing. Have you ever heard the old saying keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I read about what R-CALF is up to, as I want to know what they are doing that might destroy my and others way of life. You should try it sometime maybe you would know what is going on in that organization you are defending.
(BUT as of late we are just laughing at the inter-workings of the fast growing Beef organization and the fact their blind followers know so little about what is really going on :wink
2. Why is my survival based on one country accepting my product?
Lets see maybe because we are an exporting country and that one country just happens to be our historically largest market. Why are the US congressmen threatening Japan and Korea with trade sanctions? If Japan and Korea were to open it up wide, where would the US get the beef to fill the orders? You don't produce enough to supply your domestic markets so how will you supply a huge export market?
3. Why did my government give millions of my tax dollars to profitable US corporations?
Because they qualified under the pay structure of the knee jerk disaster payment set up to stop the destruction of our industry due to our borders being slammed shut. After the first funds hit the devastated industry and people had time to stop and think about how best to help our industry survive, no other payments were made to the packers that I know of. Can you guarantee the US government wouldn't have made the same mistakes if your industry was hit by thee largest disaster to ever hit your industry and on the verge of destruction? It is easy to arm chair quarterback the situation but it is all together different if you are the quarterback and you are about to get sacked. :roll:
4. Why did I do nothing while our packing industry was sold to foreigners?
What did the US producers do to stop Tyson and Cargil from growing into companies large enough to expand into not just Canada but how many other countries around the World? Most Canadians realize that if it hadn't been for R-CALF prolonging the border closure Tyson and Cargil would not have had the opportunity to expand their power even further in Canada. A lot of US producers realize if it wasn't for R-CALF's prolonged fight on the Border their smaller US plants that relied on Canadian cattle would not have closed and added to Tyson and Cargil's power there. LONG LIVE R-CALF's fight over the border to stop the US multinational packers. :roll:
5. Why can't Canada do anything without the blessing of Tyson/ Cargill?
I think you have Canada confused with the US. :wink: Do you really think Tyson or Cargil gave their blessings to the new safeguards Canada implemented. SRM's were once a source of income to them and now at least in Canada they are an EXPENSE to them. But yet we had their blessing to pass a law forbidding the use of SRMs in all animal feed. :roll: Tell us why is the US industry still feeding Chicken crap? :?
6. Why can't what's left of the Canadian packing industry test for BSE to meet a potential conumser's request?
Maybe because
like the US industry our governing agency says no to the testing of healthy animals do to the fact the test is not for food safety and it will be sending a false message to our consumers that the meat is somehow safer because it is tested. And
like the US, they based their ruling on the recommendations of the World's recognized experts on BSE that being the OIE.
7. Why isn't "Canada" concentrating on the lucrative Asian markets?
Let's review, Japan opened to The US and Canada in Dec 2005 then in Jan 2006 a short month after reopening their exports the US beef industry sent a lucrative Asian export market a surprise and down came the door to US beef. But the Canadian beef industry concentrated on sending only what the consumer asked for and low and behold the door stayed open to our industry and it is beginning to look like they may open wider. The US may have regained the lucrative South Korean market (more than likely because the two government were negotiating a new FTA) but why is it not one shipment of US beef has been excepted by the Korean inspectors? Maybe what the US industry should be concentrating on is not just opening those lucrative Asian export markets but KEEPING THEM OPEN. :wink:
Now I too have answered all your questions Sandhusker so I think it is time you answer a few!!!
Have you ever seen an audited financial report from the R-CALF CEO, Board of Directors or Financial officer? Does R-CALF even have a Financial officer? Most organizations have a financial report at every meeting and certainly an audited report at the Annual convention. Has R-CALF?
What is the true membership numbers? As I don't buy the way they counted family members was the reason they were out by 3000 members crap . On the web site under "join" nowhere does it say a family price only individual memberships at a cost of $50 a pop. Which means for every $50 there should be one valid membership. Easy way to keep track if you ask me so why were they out by 3000?
Have you looked at the R-CALF web site Profile page to see who's names are not there?
Have you asked yourself Why are they not there when only a week ago they were and no election of officers was held to remove those that are no longer listed?
If you don't answer these question now they will be waiting for you when you, ocm, Haymaker and Oldtimer return from your little sabbatical in the Mountains of Wyoming. :wink: