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
Milton Dyck 306-741-9061
ProtectthePrairie.ca
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