REGINA, Nov. 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Today's announcement of grants to develop
business plans and skills does nothing to address the basic problem
that producers cannot afford to buy and manage the millions of acres of
community pastureland the province wants to unload, according to ProtectthePrairie.ca.
"Saskatchewan's plan is fatally flawed because the huge price tag for
that land is just not affordable for most producers. The voice of
farmers and ranchers is just not being heard by the province or the
federal government," says Milton Dyck of the Agriculture Union - PSAC,
sponsor of the campaign.
The Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced today that they
will pay pasture patron groups up to $120,000 to develop a business
plan and acquire business skills. The release is silent on question of
how producers will be able to afford to buy the land at market rates or
manage the land to present day standards. Nor does the release address
any environmental and conservation considerations.
In a separate letter to supporters of ProtectthePrairie.ca dated today, Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart says "our
farmers and ranchers are the best environmental stewards of the land."
"Farmers and ranchers share our concerns about protecting the
environment and conserving these iconic lands for future generations.
They also realize that the high quality management of these community
pastures is due to federal pasture managers and the scientific support
network they rely upon to make sustainable management decisions," says
Dyck.
SOURCE: Protect the Prairie