Who lost Lakeside – XL Foods or the CFIA? by Sheri Monk
sherimonk.com
“I love the romance in the cow-calf sector, and its raw, unstoppable grit. I love seeing section after section of native grass and the beasts that graze it, unknowingly filling in for an even greater beast we drove out not so long ago.
And there’s what I like to call the off-the-grid sector – the producers who are going against the grain trying to forge out a living from the animals they love among the economics they hate. Niche players trying to find a foothold, this sector is so interesting because it is comprised of those who are either all heart, or all hate.
…That leaves the packers – by far the most reviled, mysterious, feared, respected and envied of the chain. In all the steps in the chain before them, cattle are born, raised, bred, fed, sold, bred again, auctioned, fed some more and then something amazing happens – they turn into meat. Make no mistake – it is at the packingplant where all that beautiful native prairie becomes money.
Whether it’s a little provincial abattoir, or the largest plant in the country, that’s where the beef chain becomes a beef business.”
To read more about the issues regarding the recent beef recall at XL Foods and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from a investigative journalist’s point of view, go to www.sherimonk.com. A very thorough report that clarifies and shows more than the media’s sensationalization of a very important issue. It’s time that Canadian consumers started asking some questions!
