Only after the last tree has been cut down.  Only after the last river has been poisoned.  Only after the last fish has been caught.  Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

Fair Vote Canada

NAFTA Growing Resistance & Calls for Renegotiation & Oversight

A power point presentation by Janet M Eaton, PhD, academic, researcher, activist and free trade critic. June 8, 2008 (Click here to view a pdf version.)

This 60 slide power point with text, quotes, references and images chronicles the resistance to NAFTA that is rapidly emerging across North America. Civil Society groups, political parties, elected representatives, public policy centres and coalitions in Mexico, Canada and the US, as well as cross border coalitions, are all calling for the renegotiation of NAFTA.

It is hoped by documenting and exposing the breadth and extent of this movement that citizens and politicians alike will recognize the imperative for action. With the significant evidence of failure of the present `free trade´ system and the extent of resistance highlighted herein, the recalcitrant and reactionary calls of elite proponents of NAFTA, to maintain the status quo, must be challenged.

Conclusions and links to other power points on the flaws and failures of NAFTA, and the SPP are found at the end of this power point.

Click here for more information

~ Joan Russow
Canadian Peace Activist and Former National Leader of the Green Party of Canada 1997 to 2001
Peace, Earth & Justice

~ Dr. Gordon Edwards, CCNR

"Uranium is the raw material of a power-elite who has taken Mother Earth's every living creature hostage."

~ Petra Kelly (1947 - 1992)
German Co-Founder, German Green Party
1982 Right Livelihood Award Winner

The Corn Ethanol Biofuels Sham:  It was one of the dumbest "green" ideas ever proposed: Convert millions of acres of cropland into fields for growing ethanol from corn, then burn fossil fuels to harvest the ethanol, expending more energy to extract the fuel than you get from the fuel itself!  Meanwhile, sit back and proclaim you've achieved a monumental green victory (President Bush, anyone?) all while unleashing a dangerous spike in global food prices that's causing a ripple effect of food shortages and rationing around the world.

Mike Adams, The Health Ranger

Photo taken in the early 1960s by Helen Zimmer (Delwisch) on the family farm west of Archerwill, SK.  

They don't know how long the piglet nursed from this cow but the family needed the milk.  

So, they separated them - the cow bawled and the piglet squealed in protest for hours afterwards.

November 21, 2007 -- Violet and her brother Alfred (back row) were rescued and became residents of Farm Sanctuary’s New York shelter as tiny piglets in August  2006. The owner of a farm in Vermont spotted them wandering around the countryside near a horse farm in Vermont and she could see they needed help and that left on their own, they would make easy prey for coyotes. The siblings were given a temporary home at her farm while a search began to find someone to adopt them.

For several weeks, diligent efforts were made to find the piglets a home but the farmers and petting zoo that came forward could not promise to keep them from harm. Once they were adults, they would be sent to slaughter.

Things were not looking hopeful for these piglets but when Farm Sanctuary was contacted and asked to take them, the good news came that the New York shelter had room for them and would help immediately. Both piglets were nervous when they climbed into the cozy, straw-filled van to begin their journey to their new life but they didn’t need to fear. They were greeted with open arms at the sanctuary and boldly stepped out of the van. The next morning they awoke to a bright, sunny day.

Photos credited to Farm Sanctuary

Please visit: http://factoryfarming.com/pork.htm

February 1, 2007 -- A national coalition of advocates for socially responsible livestock production is calling on Canada's pork producers to stop caging pregnant pigs on concrete in small metal cages known as gestation stalls or sow stalls.

Yesterday, less than one week after North America's largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, announced a phase-out of all the gestation stalls in all its barns, Maple Leaf Foods followed suit, making it the first major Canadian hog producer to ban the controversial housing method.

“The Beyond Factory Farming Coalition applauds Maple Leaf Foods for its socially responsible decision,” said Cathy Holtslander , a Coalition Organizer. “We are now calling on all Canadian pork producers, including Big Sky Farms, Stomp Pork Farms, Hytek Ltd., Puratone and Paragon Pork, to follow Maple Leaf and Smithfield 's example.”

Sow stalls have been standard practice in North American intensive hog barns for decades. In contrast, in the European Union, where several countries have long since banned the stalls on humane grounds, a universal phase-out has been in progress since 2000. Last year, Arizona became the second American state to ban sow stalls.

“Thanks to the persistent efforts of farm animal advocates, consumers have awakened to the horror stories behind their bacon and eggs,” said Syd Baumel , publisher of Eatkind.net, a member of the Beyond Factory Farming Coalition. “Now that Smithfield and Maple Leaf have moved to implement group housing, other Canadian producers who don't follow their lead could find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in the social values-driven economy of the 21st century.”

Humane alternatives to sow stalls, such as housing sows in small groups on loose straw-covered flooring, are being successfully used by large-scale hog producers in Denmark , Sweden and other countries. Certified organic hog farms – which also provide access to the outdoors for the sows and their young – have seen demand for their product grow at an accelerating pace among today's ethical consumers.

For years, there has been a race to the bottom in global livestock production practices. Europe has begun to reverse that trend. Now it's Canada 's turn to join the race to the top.

http://www.beyondfactoryfarming.org/english/newsroom/070201a.shtml 

February 11, 2007 -- From 1988 to 2000, our little hog operation kept 55 sows but, due to family illness and age, their numbers have dropped. Only new moms are housed in our little barn; the balance has group housing in a large shed. They are kept warm in winter by using straw and cool in summer with a mud hole, sand and cross ventilation. They also have a pasture to graze in during summer months. Pigs do not sweat and must find other ways to remain cool. As the heat of day becomes less intense, they stroll out to pasture making it easier for us to note any problems and determine which ones should go into the barn for farrowing next. 

Dry sows are fed outside on a concrete pad and are given enough feed for 2 days plus a bit more every 2 second day. That way, the more timid ones also received their required ration. In summer, this is done in the evening to avoid heat stress. The system has worked fine for us for over twenty years.

Moms are brought in to farrow. Most know their young will be safe in the barn and, often times, they will be at the fence waiting for us to move them in the day before they give birth.  We try to move them at dusk into the brighter light of the barn. Occasionally, a mom will want to head for the 'north 40' but with gentle persuasion can be moved.

Due to pure ignorance, we originally purchased a few 'farrowing crates', and used them only when desperate. A small local company produced a box stall type crate called a 'Converta-pen'. In this one, the mom can be enclosed in a crate to prevent her from turning around with the pain and anxiety of childbirth, and subsequently hurting herself and her tiny family members milling around her sharp feet. As soon as things calm down, one wall of her crate is moved to the side to give her freedom and the other remains to protect her children and their supplemental heat lamps. This area had 'liquid manure'.

Our favourite farrowing pens are  8 x 8 foot totally-enclosed box stalls with one corner fenced off so mom can see her family but not be afraid of her next door neighbour. These are more labour-intensive because they are on cement and bedded with raw sawdust from a local mill.

Sows today are genetically different than those in Grandma's day. They are longer and leaner but are not more miserable because they are hungry. They need good food because they work hard. Pigs are very intelligent and curious but easily riled up -- a fact that causes many a farmer to believe the head is on the wrong end. Occasionally, a sow will become mean to others in the group. There is a simple solution for this --  the next bus out of town.

One time, at a local community meeting about the proposed but very unwanted huge operation about to invade our area, an Agricultural Engineer asked the crowd, "How can we tell a happy pig.". I've thought about this statement many times over the years as we were weaning a mom and taking her back outside. She would literally skip. ‘Good job done and free from those darn kids’, a euphoria that would last for an hour or so before she would want to go back to her kids like any good mom.

Extra care has to be given to some moms at weaning, especially young ones with big litters as it takes a lot of milk to produce those fat little weanlings. Even with good rations, their bones can become fragile and they must be allowed to heal.  This usually takes about three or four days and then they are ready to go back to the group and be re-bred. They have just done an important and very hard job.  Many piglets are weaned from 14 to 21 days; I left ours for 28 days before breeding them again.

Our sows are vaccinated for some common diseases and internal and external parasites. Moms need to feed babies not bugs.  Due to group housing we have little or no problem with scours, and stopped the use of antibiotics in feed given to weanlings many years ago.

I am enclosing photos of some of our girls. The very pregnant one that has just returned from cooling herself is Velma. 

Geraldine Perron

Kelvington, SK

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