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Author Topic: Mad Cow, Big Money
exiled armadillo
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posted 03 August 2004 06:07 PM      Profile for exiled armadillo   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
EDMONTON (CP) - Meat-packers have nearly tripled their profits since the mad cow crisis hit the country, a report by Alberta's auditor general said Tuesday.
Fred Dunn said Cargill, Lakeside and XL Foods were making an average of $79 a head in the 12 months prior to the mad cow scare. But that jumped to $216.52 a head following the discovery of a single case of the disease on an Alberta farm in May 2003.

Dunn said the packers didn't benefit unfairly from a $402-million federal- provincial BSE program. Instead, he suggested the 281 per cent increase resulted from supply-and-demand forces at work in a "distorted market" in which cattle supplies significantly exceeded slaughter capacity, while domestic consumers maintained demand.

Because supply continued to exceed the capacity of the meat-packing plants and domestic and limited export markets continued to be strong, the operations of the three plants continued to perform "very well."


Wouldn't having a large supply and no expoprt market creating a glut of surplus meat drive the price down?


From: Politicians and diapers should be changed frequently and for the same reason | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged
beverly
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posted 03 August 2004 06:12 PM      Profile for beverly     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Logically, but the whole issue is very complicated. The problem has something to do with all those companies being America owned too.
From: In my Apartment!!!! | Registered: Feb 2004  |  IP: Logged
faith
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Babbler # 4348

posted 03 August 2004 06:48 PM      Profile for faith     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
In other words the farmers got screwed , again, and the meat packers and agricorp industry made out like bandits.
I really don't think this issue is complicated . I think it seems that way because the conservatives and the Bloc voted against the meat packers opening up their books before the election took place and speculation took the place of facts.
There should be a completely open and transparent money trail when taxpayer dollars are used for any business or individual that benefits from government largesse. Why is it that we know to the dime what someone on welfare gets but as soon as industry gets their mits on taxpayers money it's like pulling teeth to find out what happened to it?

From: vancouver | Registered: Aug 2003  |  IP: Logged
Zahid Zaman
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Babbler # 6459

posted 03 August 2004 06:55 PM      Profile for Zahid Zaman     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by faith:
There should be a completely open and transparent money trail when taxpayer dollars are used for any business or individual that benefits from government largesse. Why is it that we know to the dime what someone on welfare gets but as soon as industry gets their mits on taxpayers money it's like pulling teeth to find out what happened to it?

I completely agree. If my money is being used for any purpose, I should have the full privelege of knowing that use unless its a matter of national security.


From: Mississauga/Waterloo, ON | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged
exiled armadillo
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6389

posted 03 August 2004 09:24 PM      Profile for exiled armadillo   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
What frosted my cookies was when the meat packers didn't open their books the conservatives and others got the government to back off making them pay fines for not complying. It was a lot of money too.
From: Politicians and diapers should be changed frequently and for the same reason | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged
TemporalHominid
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posted 06 August 2004 11:42 AM      Profile for TemporalHominid   Author's Homepage        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
The consumer got screwed twice. In Alberta bumper stickers were given out that said

quote:
I (heart) [Alberta] [Beef]

the campaigne was effective in getting Alberta consumers to support farmers and ranchers by purchasing beaf products, which never came down in price even though supply apparantly exceded demand. We learn that the meat packers tripple their profits. Then we learn that the Tax Payers were on the line for all the $400 million, most of which was paid to multinational companies that are in meat packing.


Fuck Klein, his government, fuck Dunn


and fuck this noise
[QUOTE] Cargill, Lakeside Packers and XL Foods are making an average of $216.52 a head now, compared to the $79 a head made in the year before a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in Alberta, the report says.

[ 06 August 2004: Message edited by: TemporalHominid ]


From: Under a bridge, in Foot Muck | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged
BleedingHeart
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posted 06 August 2004 11:46 AM      Profile for BleedingHeart   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
The worst thing is that in a year or so rural Alberta will vote solidly for Ralph Klein. Stockholm (or maybe Stockwell) syndrome?
From: Kickin' and a gougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged
exiled armadillo
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6389

posted 06 August 2004 02:02 PM      Profile for exiled armadillo   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
If that is the case our whole country seems to be inflicted with the Stockholm syndrome. It would certainly make sense, even though it still pisses me off to no ends!
From: Politicians and diapers should be changed frequently and for the same reason | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged

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