By IAN ROSS
Proponents spearheading the establishment of an abattoir for the Rainy River district are finding it slowing going to secure a sizeable beef cattle commitment and keep costs down.
But Geoff Gillon, executive director of the Rainy River Future Development Corporation, assesses the chances of construcingt an abattoir as "marginal at best.
Earlier this year, the Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Board accepted a proposal from Sunrise Meat and Sausage in Barwick to operate its proposed abattoir.
The total cost of a provincially-licensed abattoir project was originally projected at $1.8 million, but proponents were working to drive the cost down to $725,000.
"We've continued to work with them on the business plan and the consultant to get the numbers down," says Gillon.
"Hopefully we'll have an answer by mid-October at the latest."
With small abattoirs in Dryden and Thunder Bay, farmers were forced to travel more than 100 to 150 kilometres from the Fort Frances-Rainy River district to bring their cattle to kill. Those circumstances along with the BSE (bovine spongiform encelphalopthy) scare in 2003, which shut down the U.S. border to Canadian cattle, helped spark the movement for a home-grown provincially-licensed facility.
Sunrise will complete a business plan and prepare proposals for government funding. The kill plant will be built to provincial standards.
Gillon says the plant is widely supported by area beef producers but likely on a custom kill basis.
Farmers spent this past summer attempting to calculate the number of animals committed in the district.
"We need 1,000, but we've got almost 800 committed," says Gillon. "We're working to reduce costs down to a straight kill-and-chill plant." Sunrise Meats already has processing capabilities.
"We don't have the animals. Everybody wants it and we're trying our best to put it together, but at day's end someone has to run it."
"When it started everyone wanted a Cadillac and we're whittling the business plan to get into something realistic to put together," says Gillon.
"We're still working on it the cost of how can we make it smaller and still meet the regulations. It's tight from a numbers point of view."
Northend Farms, a Rainy River bison producer, was originally identified as a potential operator, but later withdrew their proposal. "They've reviewed it but it was too big a commitment for them at that time."
Another challenge is new federal regulations on specific risk material that factors into the cost of operating.
Gillon says with so many questions about entering this type this business, many are frustrated
by new rules and regulations.
"Not only do we have changing expectations of ourselves and our producers, but then you're the changing playing field. We eat beef from Chile, Argentina and Australia...and it's difficult to grow a home-grown plant," says Gillon.
"It's more than killing cows but with all the ramifications that surround it, that has gotten people apprehensive."
Growing the area's agriculture is high the development corporation's agenda.
Earlier this year, the development corporation received $300,000 from Ottawa to support area farming. The organization hired a rural agriculture coordinator, Jeannette Cawston, to help farmers increase sales, cut expenses, and develop some value-added products for market.
As well, farmers want to recruit a large animal veterinarian and support the region's effort to establish an abattoir.
Crawson has been meeting with area agriculture groups and municipal leaders since June. She travelled to Morden, Manitoba with local politicians for information on what that community does to support agriculture immigration.
She established an agricultural working group in planning a district feedlot and in promoting food events to encourage residents to eat locally-produced beef, elk, bison and pork.
