Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food

HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6

Comité permanent de l'agriculture et de l'agroalimentaire

For immediate release

Ottawa, December 13, 2007 -

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food released today its 1st report. The report includes 6 recommendations dealing with the current income crisis in the beef and pork sectors. These recommendations propose immediate transitory measures to alleviate this crisis, as well as longer term measures that relate to the industry competitiveness. “Canadian hog and cattle producers’ cash flow is being squeezed between soaring input costs and declining prices, which create an on-farm liquidity crunch” said Standing Committee Chair James Bezan (CPC – MP for Selkirk--Interlake). “That’s why the Committee has formulated very specific recommendations to tackle this liquidity issue. They include providing cash-flow to hog and cattle producers in the form of interest-free loans to be paid back over a period of three to five years and bankable cash advances.” According to the Official Opposition Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee, Paul Steckle (L – MP for Huron--Bruce), “The Committee showed that it attaches a very high level of importance to having a strong and vibrant beef and hog industry in Canada, for the rural economy in particular, by also proposing measures that should help enhance its competitiveness in the long run.” For further information, please call Jean-François Lafleur, Clerk of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, at 613 947 6732, or visit the Committee’s Web site at: www.parl.gc.ca/agri