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"By the side" (editorial
comment)
Who's at fault?
Government at every level is the easiest
target for criticism. Politicians probably come second. This
I know from the most personal experience. A couple of dozen or
more times a year I climb on a soap box and let forth with a
critical opinion. Like as not government takes the knock.
This time government gets a rest while we take a look inward
at ourselves and the beef industry in the Atlantic provinces,
the Maritimes in particular.
For years there has been an informal association called the
Maritime Beef Council that began as a group of individuals keenly
interested in beef production in the region and wanting to find
ways to spur its growth. They were from farms and government,
from non-government groups and associations. They gathered first
at the Memramcook Institute to map out some strategies for recovery
from BSE and other perceived roadblocks to viability.
And when the meeting was over that bunch of men and women was
pumped. Rightly so. There was a collective vision and a degree
of enthusiasm not seen for a long time and, sadly, seldom seen
since.
What the hell happened?
I don't think the fizzle can be blamed entirely on government.
For good or bad, our bureaucrats and political leaders don't
lead as much as they follow what they perceive is the collective
desire of their constituents.
This rant does not come out of thin air. It comes from a little
sit-down session not long ago with Nova Scotia's Deputy Minister
of Agriculture. Paul LaFleche and Executive Director Linda MacDonald.
We talked about extension services and changes coming at the
Agricultural College, and Atlantic Beef Products, and about Nappan;
Nappan the experimental farm owned and neglected by Agriculture
Canada.
What's to become of Nappan, was the question? There's been talk
about beef research, organic farming research, and the latest
scuttlebutt about mink research leaving the AC and moving out
there.
LaFleche said he had heard some mumbling about mink. MacDonald
said it was just rumor.
LaFleche acknowledged that there has been a lot of talk about
Nappan, then added, "I'll tell you what I'd like to know
about Nappan. . . When are the Cattle Producers going to give
us a recommendation on their research needs? And then we'll find
out if they need Nappan or not. That's what I've been waiting
for since January.
"They were given that challenge," the DM said. "I
haven't heard back."
LaFleche said the question is not only about Nappan. "It's
about, 'What are your research needs?' Then we'll figure out
if we need Nappan for that."
In the Summer issue of Atlantic Beef, the one that went to press
the middle of June, a small story ("A future for Nappan?")
talked about a meeting industry leaders held in Truro with Marc
Fortin, Agriculture Canada's assistant deputy minister for research.
We spoke with Fortin following that meeting at which time he
said he was looking forward to seeing the Nova Scotia Cattle
Producers' strategy. He understood it would be available in July.
"Once they have their strategy developed we will be happy
to work with them . . . toward developing that strategy."
Six months after that meeting in Truro, Nova Scotia's deputy
minister is saying that in his conversation with Fortin, "We
left it (that) we are going to, basically, allow the Cattle Producers
to come to a conclusion (on research needs), and when they come
to a conclusion on what they want we'll take a look at that and
then we'll put the science together for Nova Scotia after we
understand that."
The Nova Scotia Cattle Producers? What about the Maritime Beef
Council, he was asked. "We'd be pleased to hear from the
Maritime Beef Council," LaFleche replied. "At this
point we'd be pleased to hear from anybody."
The DM said research is "very high" on his list of
priorities. "That's why we've been doing things with the
agricultural college, AgriTech, the BioVenture Centre. . . All
of that is trying to focus a research infrastructure in Nova
Scotia that is useful for our producers. I want to get on with
that. But the key to that is the Feds would like to know about
Nappan. . . I want to hear from the Cattle Producers.
"Right now, the Feds have two sites, Kentville and Nappan.
Are they going to continue to have two sites or one? Because
there are huge budget implications to running that second site.
"Are we going to put dollars into running that second site?
If so, for what? I want to know what, productive, can be done
that advances the agenda here for science in Nova Scotia.
"If they're not going to run that site I want to know that
those dollars that are tied up in that site are used for something
else productive for Nova Scotia.
"That's why we have to get to that answer, and I think
the Feds are also a bit stuck on that issue too. They've got
a lot of money tied up in Nappan in terms of maintenance, not
so much in personnel, and is anybody going to use it because
right now, really, we're wasting a lot of money in my view."
LaFleche continued, "What's their (the Cattle Producers')
plan? Nappan falls out of them having a plan. . . To move forward
in that plan we need research capability, technology capability.
. . and yes, we can get some of it from Lacombe in Alberta. But
we might need it in a particular area better suited to Nova Scotia's
agricultural attributes.
"When you put all that together, then you say, 'Well, where
do you need to do that research? . . . . "'Oh, the only
place we can do that, or the best place to do that, is Nappan.'
Or you might say, 'No. Nappan is not relevant to the type of
research we need,' . . . or something in between."
If Nappan is to figure in the Federal government's "Growing
Forward" research agenda that kicks in next April, LaFleche
pointed out, time is running out.
Will we blame our provincial and federal governments if the
plug is pulled on Nappan? Probably so, although the fault could
be largely ours. DvL
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