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The Gov't Knows What's best
Posted 10/2/2012 4:41:00 AM

I’ve had several people tell me in person they never buy meat at a big box store, they always go to their neighborhood butcher where there has never been a problem with E. coli.  Now comes a letter from Wendy.  She and her husband are cattle farmers.  They have ridden out the bad times the cattle industry has suffered for the last decade, the BSE, the weather and all the rest of it.  Wendy says that was their choice, after a previous agriculture minister told them to ride it out or get out of it.  They chose to ride.  Her point is that you never hear of tainted meat at the mom and pop butcher shops, or the slaughterhouse they ran down the road.  But Wendy says the government shut all these down over the last twenty years because they couldn’t monitor all of them to keep them safe, and now look what has happened: another huge plant with inspectors on site and we have a problem.  Wendy’s family raises and eats their own cattle which fertilize their own vegetables and their food has never made anyone sick with E. coli.  Well, Wendy, the government thinks shutting down a plant shows the system works.  Sounds like your system works better. Let me know what you think.

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Posted By: Bob Layton  

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  • 16
  1. Richard posted on 10/02/2012 07:28 AM
    The government spends our money freely, but they can't stand the thought that somebody might not pay tax on $8 worth of sausages. Thats why they regulate it so heavily. They make it so hard and expensive that people have no real choice but to give up.
  2. Lil posted on 10/02/2012 08:37 AM
    Dear Mr. Layton,

    I agree with Richard.
    We also raised our own cows for fresh milk, cream, butter, cottage cheese and other uses. We rarely butchered a beef because we hunted game animals and ate healthy no antibiotic no hormone no cholesterol no E-Coli stuffed animals. Our grass pastured cows were the same so when we did eat one, it was healthy and wholesome. I am now 75 and still hunt occasionally and continue to eat healthy wild meat and grow my own garden. God help us all when home gardens and hunting are banned. Not IF, but WHEN!
  3. Sue posted on 10/02/2012 08:40 AM This comment was edited by a moderator at 09:23 AM on 10/02/2012
    My husband & I raise Angus cattle. If there is a bright side to this XL Foods event then it has to be that people will look to local farmers and farmers markets for their beef. It may cost more but that's because we don't mass produce cuts of of beef. Our animals are fed humanely and cleanly. We don't hot-feed our animals just to raise their weight as this often leads to liver failure. We don't load them with growth hormones and antibiotics because we don't want to consume those drugs through the beef either.
    People should always know where their food comes from and how it's produced. It's safer and healthier for everyone.

    Bob replies: Would it be O.K. if I showed your email address for potential customers?
    1. Sue posted on 10/02/2012 10:42 AM
      @Sue I'd rather that potential customers spread their business among all local and small producers as there are many with the same standards as us.
      But I do thank you for the offer.
  4. GFF posted on 10/02/2012 08:57 AM
    It is a well known fact, anything the government gets involved in goes down hill. The mom and pop butchers had their business at stake. They came to know their suppliers and would know what quality their customers would or would not accept. Between all the chemicals and antibiotics being fed to the animals the public eats today, it is a sad state of affairs. The government shuts down people that sell their eggs direct along with the beef farmers ........ because they (the gov't) are not getting their fifty cent share.
  5. Lorne Corbett posted on 10/02/2012 10:10 AM
    Hi Bob...unbelievable consequences due to both inadequate testing for e-coli and communications publically following the discovery. Bet they wish more inspectors were employed now. Like running a car without a regular maintenance schedule until the oil light comes on, so goes the XL Foods repair bill. Enough! I live in Spruce Grove and we have many local butchers. I have purchased meat products from the locals but I now plan to buy all my meat from them now. Hello Sandy View Farms, wrap me two steaks, a pound of hamburger and as always I'll be picking up my festive fresh turkey. Drive safe...eat safe.
    1. The Infidel - Mr.John posted on 10/04/2012 09:49 AM
      @Lorne Corbett Where do you think that your "local" butcher gets their sides of beef? Are they getting them locally from farmers directly in your area? I would be very surprised if they were!
      This most recent "beef scare" is an absolute joke to those who do not understand. These Alberta cattle walking around aren't walking around with listeria or e-coli in them. This is contaminated in the XL processing stage.
      Critics have commented that the XL foods production line is in permanent overdrive,...so safety in production is reduced to the point where you get these occurrences of e-coli and then the idiot politicians start shooting off their idiot mouths about how "they" are going to solve the problem.
      Got a news flash for them,...get back to the farm and smell the "cow****", open your nostrils and take a deep breath....just don't confuse it with the crap smell coming out of your mouths! Get a reality check!!!
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  6. Barry posted on 10/02/2012 02:37 PM
    If the gov't hadn't blown $113,000 on unused hotel rooms they could have hired 2 more inspectors.
  7. Ken posted on 10/02/2012 05:42 PM
    Hi,
    There was a spot on Global last Friday on 6 and 11 PM news featuring Ben's meat with owner David. Family owned business for many years. Located in the west end on Stony Plain road. He stated that his beef comes from St Albert ranch.
    That's 2 locals in one stop.
  8. PaddyD posted on 10/02/2012 06:34 PM
    Good day to you Robert

    The gov't members just love a foto op. Case in point the PC member suggesting he has no problem with Alberta beef and buys an armful down in Camrose. No foto op suggesting he ate it tho.
  9. Darrell posted on 10/02/2012 11:28 PM
    I think the government should allow farmers to butcher and sell their own meats.
    They usually eat it themselves. If they can maybe pass an annual test to get a license to butcher and sell to the public, it should be allowed. These meat inspectors could issue the licenses after they inspect the facility. Not all farmers would want to do this but certain groups of them may want another choice for a market rather than just the BIG MONOPOLIZING corporate packing plants. I also think if the government is worried about being sued they should just issue waivers to people wanting to buy meat from any farmer. Every year thousands of Hunters go out and shoot Bambi's dad and that is wild meat that they take home, cut up and roast! I've done it myself. mmm mmm good..!
  10. Eva posted on 10/03/2012 01:56 AM
    I have heard about the various chemicals (including antibiotics and preservatives) placed in our meats. As a result, I assumed shopping around, including Sobey's, Costco, Superstore, Walmart, etc...would bring my family better quality meat linked to a "better" supplier.
    After hearing all this food is being recalled (much of which could still be consumed under proper precautions), I am ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED by the amount of businesses who rely on ONE supplier, XL Foods. I am appalled by the food waste this has created.
    I've always been taught that we live in an a free market economy. It saddens me to learn we live in an unofficial "monopoly."
  11. Sue posted on 10/03/2012 07:41 AM
    For safe and local foods check out
    :
    The Alberta Farmers' Market Association

    Alberta 100 Mile Diet

    There are so many great small farms and ranches that sell direct or through markets. Ask them where their beef is finished and slaughtered.
  12. Allen posted on 10/04/2012 09:42 PM This comment was edited by a moderator at 07:35 AM on 10/05/2012
    Watch the government use this disaster as an opportunity to take even more control of our food. I agree with Lil. They're already hassling the the gardeners in the U.S. God help you if you want to buy RAW milk. Mark my words...this is the beginning of a massive grab for control of our food. Just google raw milk arrests and be prepared to be shocked and saddened. Gary Ritz should be taken to task and fired over this.
  13. Glen S.R. Woytuck posted on 10/08/2012 05:04 AM
    I grew up eating farm beef. First from our own cattle on the farm in Saskatchewan, then here when my dad would buy a side of beef from a farmer he knew every fall and have it butchered and packed. Obviously this is another incidence of big business pushing public policy. They pushed the government to outlaw the direct sale that had gone on for literally thousands of years so the could monopolize it into a huge plant and outsource the profits. Now, something goes wrong, because it it harder to monitor such a huge plant with minimally trained/paid employees. And we find 1/3 of Alberta beef production shut down.
    Have we learned nothing from the "too big to fail" arrangement?
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