Foodbank Usage in Canada

Canada's first Foodbank was set up in 1981 as a temporary measure for helping with emergency food supplies.  Today, more and more people must use Foodbanks to survive.

I believe Canadians need affordable chicken and eggs as one part of a plan to achieve food independence and self-sufficiency, reducing or eliminating the need for Foodbanks.

Some feel that Foodbanks trap the poor from which they cannot escape, similar to dysfunctional foreign aid going to Africa.   Some propose the approach of Operation Sharing, as described on  CBC Radio, The 180, and implemented by Food for Friends in North York ON, as a more viable option; rather than continuing Foodbanks.  Also see here and here.  Paraphrasing St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660),

"When you feed the poor, please ask for their forgiveness. You are giving them a bowl of soup but they give up their dignity.”

Either way, there is a need of more affordable, nutritious food for Canadians.

Figure 1:  Foodbank usage in Canada has grown at the average rate of
2.21% per year since 1989.  That means a doubling and re-doubling
of users every 31.6 years.  Between 1989 and 2014, usage has increased
220%

Figure 1 at the right shows foodbank usage in Canada has grown at the average rate of 2.21% per year since 1989.  That means a doubling and re-doubling of users every 31.6 years.  Between 1989 and 2014, usage has increased 220%.

Without affordable chicken and eggs, the poor and unfortunate are chained to the free food distribution warehouse.

Will the millionaire Chicken Mafia provide affordable chicken & eggs?  I doubt it.  They are just millionaires, but have dreams of becoming billionaires.  If chicken and eggs were affordable, it would take longer for the Chicken Mafia to achieve their billionaire dream.

The government will have to force them to provide affordable food.

Will SFPFC's Petition help sway the government?

If the government fails to act against their Chicken Mafia friends and lobbyists, then it will be up to the people themselves.

Will the Courts side with the people through some "Right To Food" or Charter Challenge?

Or will it eventually come down to pitchforks, torches, nooses, or guillotines?

Right now is either:

• The beginning of the end;
  
  OR
• The end of the beginning.

Time will tell all.

Small Flock Petition

Ontario has an important decision to make about the additional chicken quota that has been awarded to Ontario by Chicken Farmers of Canada ("CFC").

Previously, there was some confusion about who said what and the position adopted by various stakeholders.  SFPFC is independent of all other organizations, but will work co-operatively with all individuals and organizations who share 1 or more of our principles.  That confusion appears to be fully cleared up by this Blog posting, as well as here and here.  We await the eventual correction of other media reports that make contradictory statements.

We have previously discussed the recent opportunity for chicken quota, and the gathering stakeholders of diverse viewpoints (see prior Blog postings here, here, here, here, and here)

The extra quota could be gifted, leased, or sold to the millionaire chicken producers, primarily located in Southern Ontario.  It is suggested this option will minimize the economic spin-off effects, and continue the under-servicing, abandonment, or poor servicing of the specialty chicken markets.

Petition for Affordable, Nutritious, Locally Produced Chicken for Ontario

You can sign the petition on-line here

Alternatively, the extra chicken quota can be earmarked for Small Flockers located throughout Ontario.  Small Flockers currently serve, and will likely better serve the diverse needs for specialty chicken, such as:

• antibiotic-free,
• diversified farm,
• drug-free,
• enhanced animal welfare,
• free range,
• full disclosure,
• full traceability,
• growth promotant free,
• Halal,
• heirloom breeds,
• high sustainability,
• integrated farm,
• Kosher,
• locally produced,
• low carbon impact,
• low environmental impact,
• low fossil fuel use,
• low Greenhouse Gas impact, and
• naturally raised,
• organic,
• pastured,
• slow-grow,
• small farm,
• Other specialty chickens and processes

We welcome all individuals and organizations to come join with Small Flockers.  To facilitate this, we have drafted a petition to summarize the issues and our prayers to the Federal and Provincial governments to set Small Flockers free, and thereby maximize the benefits for Ontario and the rest of Canada.

Fantastic Financial Future via Pastured Poultry Profits Project ("PPPP")

There is a fantastic financial future for Small Flocker's through PPPP (Pastured Poultry Profits Project).

In yesterday's Blog posting (see Pastured Poultry Profits ), I outlined how Small Flocker's can adopt a perfect pastured poultry process.

OK, OK, enough on the alliteration.

Figure 1:   Small Flocker's PPPP with input
pricing similar to CFO's chicken factories

Today, we'll look at what will soon be possible through Small Flockers getting the same or similar pricing that the millionaire chicken factories enjoy.

Figure 1 shows the pro forma financial budget for Small Flocker's PPPP (Pastured Poultry Profit Project).  Right click on the image, choose "View Image", then click to magnify to full size.  Alternatively, you can view an Acrobat pdf version document here

This PPPP budget assumes:

• Farmers raise all of their birds in one flock, minimizing catch and transport fees (Line 7).
• Small Flockers in Ontario are allowed to raise 2,000 birds (as compared to the 300 birds/yr limit), see Line 18.
• FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio) is 30% better than CFO's chicken factories, justified by a cleaner environment that allows birds a better utilization of the feed, and the grass and bugs they can eat as reducing the feed needed (Line 25).

What results is that Small Flockers earn a 30.31% higher profit margin than the millionaire chicken factory farmers (see Line 34).

Also, the retail customers of Small Flockers' PPPP chicken enjoy prices 11.79% below the current retail prices from the Chicken Mafia and their chicken factories and their retail partners (see Line 44).

This means local prosperity for the Small Flocker farmer and their community, and chicken that is more affordable for Ontario's consumers.

As described previously, this financial analysis covers only the direct variable costs, assuming the necessary capital infrastructure already exists, is fully paid for and fully depreciated, and PPPP is only an expansion of an existing chicken business. That may not be true in all cases.  For a more comprehensive financial analysis without these simplifying assumptions, see here and here.

I'm accepting the names of Small Flockers who are interested in finding out more about PPPP.  I have already joined SFPFC's PPPP, and hope you will join me.  There is strength when we work together to achieve this important project.

Grinch Attacks Ontario: No Affordable Chicken for You

A review of the Tribunal's decision to reject our chicken appeal in Ontario has been completed.  The Tribunal's decision to refuse hearing our chicken appeal against Chicken Farmers of Ontario stands as-is, but the reasons change slightly.  That means:

• No relief from the #ChickenMafia's oppression of Small Flock poultry farmers, and
   
• No affordable chicken for Ontario consumers.

The OMAFRA Appeals Tribunal delivered their special gifts just in time for Christmas;
lumps of coal for 2 Christmas stockings.   Click the image for full size version.

Quite a large lump of coal was delivered to the Christmas stockings of  15,500 small flock poultry farmers of Ontario.

Unfortunately, 13.6 million consumers in Ontario get a similar lump of coal dropped into their Christmas stocking too.  Canadians pay 50% to 300% more for chicken than what the rest of the world pays; thanks to the #ChickenMafia and their self-serving rules to protect their chicken monopoly.

Chicken Farmers of Ontario ("CFO", members and leaders of the #ChickenMafia) operates their government created monopoly in favor of the 1,400 quota-holding chicken farmers in Ontario.

How is it that 1,400 quota-bearing chicken farmers can hold the entire province of Ontario hostage (all 13.6 million of us) with their self-serving rules that made these 1,400 people into millionaires, and may eventually allow them to become billionaires.  Quota-bearing chicken farmers are the highest paid farmers in Canada.

The 15,500 Small Flock chicken farmers in Ontario are small, independent, neighbourhood poultry farmers who are limited to raising no more than 300 chickens per year (enough to feed chicken to 10 people at the Canadian average rate of consumption in kg/yr).  Most Small Flockers grow less than half the permitted amount of chicken (due to the red tape, costs, and bureaucracy imposed on them by the #ChickenMafia).

The Tribunal previously decided to reject Small Flockers' chicken appeal as being frivolous, vexatious, and made in bad faith.  The Tribunal called Small Flockers out with three strikes in a row (see Blog posting Case Dismissed: The Appeal Tribunal has Spoken ).

On Oct. 24, 2014 a request was made, that the Tribunal's appeal decision be reviewed and confirmed (see Request for Reconsideration

After waiting 61 days, we now have the Tribunal's final answer, delivered on Christmas Eve.  The Review decided that the appeal stands as-is, but the reasons for refusing the appeal have been changed slightly.

Previously, the Tribunal had ruled that this appeal was frivolous, vexatious, and made in bad faith. Any one of those three deadly decisions was enough to kill the appeal dead.  The Tribunal decided to brand the appeal with all three allegations, for good measure.

With zombies, "double tapping" (ie. killing twice) helps to ensure the zombie never gets up again.  Apparently, the subject matter of this appeal was such a menace to the #ChickenMafia, the Tribunal felt it required triple-tapping to ensure the appeal was dead, DEAD, DEAD.

Contrary to the Tribunal, the Review decided there was insufficient evidence to support an accusation of being "frivolous".  The Review also found that calling the appeal "vexatious" was going too far.  Both of these two allegations were rejected by the Review process.

However, the Review confirmed the decision that the appeal was acting as an abuse of the Tribunal's processes, and/or in bad faith.  That was enough to continue rejecting this appeal.  As far as the Tribunal is concerned, this chicken appeal is permanently dead.

At this point, Ontario's Minister of Agriculture can review the Tribunal's decision in the next 30 days; rejecting it, or accepting it, or substituting the Minister's decision in place of the Tribunal's decision.

If turned down by OMAFRA's Minister, the Small Flockers' last chance is through a Judicial Review.

I am no lawyer, but it seemed to me that the appeal (and the request to review) presented some solid case law in support of Small Flockers' search for the restoration of their civil rights, and affordable chicken for the citizens of Ontario.  To twist that into a poorly substantiated allegation of frivolous and vexatious meant the Tribunal had gone way out on a limb, past the point of reasonable discretion which allowed the Tribunal to control its own processes.  It appears that the Review agreed; the Tribunal had gone too far, and the Tribunal was at significant risk of having their bias exposed and their decision overturned.  That could easily explain why they backed off during the review process.

As mentioned by the Tribunal's Vice Chair in his review decision, the case law was thin and scant for defining "bad faith".  Since "bad faith" is not well defined in the case law, the Tribunal had a wide latitude to define "bad faith" how they pleased; so they did.

The Tribunal accused Small Flockers of:

• having significant animus towards the #ChickenMafia,
   
• having a political manifesto, and
   
• having a personal political agenda.

 The Tribunal used all three of these as sufficient reasons for judging bad faith and dismissing the Small Flocker's appeal.
As an analogy for clarification of Small Flockers rights and call for justice, I ask three questions:

1. Did the Blacks in South Africa have a right and just animus towards the White Minority who persecuted the Blacks during Apartheid?
    
2. Did the Blacks have a manifesto and personal political agenda under the ANC (African National Congress), for the restoration of their civil rights?
    
3. Do the #ChickenMafia have animus towards Small Flockers, and a personal political agenda and manifesto to protect their monopoly at all costs?

Why are these reasons unacceptable and held against Small Flockers, but all three are OK for the #ChickenMafia? To me, this seems 1-sided and obviously biased in favor of the minority but powerful #ChickenMafia.
The lockers' review request raised a number of other reasons to reject the prior decision of the Tribunal.  The Review's decision mentioned these other reasons lockers requested be considered, indicating that the Review heard those additional complaints.  Any of these additional reasons could have breathed new life into this appeal if any of them had been accepted.  However, the review ignored all of these additional reasons from further consideration.  I wonder why?

The decision of the OMAFRA Tribunal Review is available here 

It appears that if the Tribunal gets its Christmas wish, the injured rights of Small Flockers, and the unaffordable chicken for all of Ontario will be denied.  Small Flockers will not enjoy their right to have their legitimate grievances heard in court.

Not only are Small Flockers rights trampled by the #ChickenMafia, the #ChickenMafia have convinced the OMAFRA Tribunal to protect the #ChickenMafia and their dirty deeds against Small Flockers.

Pregnant Pause

It has been a week since CFO submitted their response to my final attempt to rescue our chicken appeal.

The Tribunal still has not responded to the arguments submitted by the opposing sides.  What could that pregnant pause mean?

The Tribunal could have had a response within the hour after the closing of the time for submitting responses.  After all, how long does it take to type "Case dismissed!".

However, that summary dismissal has not occurred.  Obviously, the Tribunal needs a little bit more time than an hour to consider what has been submitted.

The CFO's 5 page submission takes about an hour to read a few times.  Not very deep, nor complex.  It wouldn't take more than a day to agree or disagree with CFO's submission, and adopt what they submitted.  At a week delay and counting, it likely isn't CFO's response that is delaying the issuing of the Tribunal's answer.

The Tribunal allowed us a maximum of 10 pages to convince them that the Tribunal has sufficient jurisdiction and powers to hear this appeal. Our 10 pages of legal arguments are designed to try and keep the appeal alive.  Those 10 pages are complex, filled with legal references and footnotes.  It is comprehensive, and has maximum possible density so as to fit everything into those 10 pages, the maximum allowed .  It is a significant task just to read those 10 pages.

In addition, our Submission Brief of 1,085 pages contains the full text of all the Court transcripts referenced and relied upon in our 10 page submission, plus our signed Petitions in support of our appeal.  That would take at least a week just to read.

Could it be the Appellant's arguments that are slowing down the Tribunal's response?

That doesn't necessarily mean that we are going to win this skirmish.  I think there is a 90% chance that our appeal gets dismissed no matter how strong our legal arguments may be.  However, our legal arguments are sufficiently strong and persuasive that it takes a significant effort to cast them aside and make it plausible.  That is why it's taking the Tribunal so long.  The Tribunal wants to appear to be fair and legally correct.

Whatever the true reasons for the pregnant pause, it appears that the Tribunal is reading and considering our arguments.  That's an important first step.  There is a slim chance that the Tribunal will be sufficiently persuaded so as to overcome 50 years of #ChickenMafia dogma, precedence, well-embedded habits, and political favoritism.

That won't be easy for the Tribunal to achieve, but it may be possible. Let us hope and pray together the Tribunal's Panel Members have the personal strength to do what is right.

Easy Road To Riches: The Raping of Canadian Consumers

Why did the #ChickenMafia decide to take the easy road to riches, but which necessitates the repeated raping of Canadian consumers?

In a comment posted on Better Farming's website, an anonymous poster stated:

Not a Shred of Guilt!

There have been many Supply Management farmers in the past willing to suspend upcoming raises at the farmgate or even rollback prices in order to give consumers a break at the grocery store but the retailers have never been trusted to pass that on to the buying public.We see proof of that in the Pizza joints now!The same applies with Beef and Pork,while they were losing money on every shipped animal the Grocery stores made sure they were NOT!
That's why not a single Supply Management farmer should feel guilty about actually making money..the Retailers/Grocery giants don't !

 My response:

You mention that many farmers have been willing to suspend or roll back price increases to help consumers.

In SFPFC's  Blog posting of Feb. 28, 2013 we showed a graph of the #ChickenMafia 's handiwork for Canada Grade "A" chicken retail prices from 1995 to 2012.  It shows steady, managed growth in retail chicken prices of 3.54% per year, non-stop for 17 years (all available Stats Can data). Whether they were willing or not to roll back prices, the #ChickenMafia didn't do it.

Ah, you say, but those are retail prices, and the #ChickenMafia only controls farm gate prices.

True to a point, but the #ChickenMafia also controls the sale, marketing, and distribution of chicken.  The downstream distributors who insist on raising prices could have been red circled at their current chicken quota supply volume, and those downstream supply chains that choose to pass on the savings to consumer could have received the additional volume of quota that was distributed now and again.

The #ChickenMafia could have, but they chose otherwise.

That consistent price increase was part of the #ChickenMafia’s Strategic Plan, and they implemented their plan on the backs and life blood of Canadian consumers.

What the #ChickenMafia could have done was say something like the following:

 "Boys, we need to get a lot better, a lot more quickly.  Our chicken monopoly isn't our God-given right, it was given to us by the government as a sacred trust on behalf of the Canadian people.  Canadians want and need us to do an excellent job for them.  They don't want the charity of free chicken. They want affordable chicken." 

 "Canadians also want us to be 3-way sustainable; environmentally, financially, and in a generational sense so the next generation of chicken farmers have a future."

"That's why your leadership has prepared plans to help you rapidly improve your operations, so that you can achieve a reasonable return for your work and investment, and at the same time, the retail price of chicken in Canada keeps getting cheaper and cheaper."

"Our plan assumes that retail chicken prices will roll back at the same rate that we jacked them up for the last 17 years:  3.54%/yr price reductions.  We assume our COP (Cost of Production) will increase at 3.0% per year.  That's why our plan calls for us to improve ourselves at 6.54% per year.  I believe we can do that, as we're all going to work together and help each other, and do whatever it takes to make it happen."

"We think we have a pretty good plan, but it needs to be a lot better.  That's why we have come to you today, the true experts on chicken farming, to seek your input and help us build an even better plan."

"With that plan and much hard work by both you and your leaders, we will soon be the world's best chicken farmers; something that your family, all Canadians, and the world will marvel at, recognize, and appreciate."

"After our leadership by example, next we will share all that we have done with all other producers and farmers world-wide, so that they can more easily follow in our footsteps."

"Of course, that sharing and helping other chicken farmers world-wide will mean that us Canadian chicken farmers will have to continue working hard and continuously improving, or we will soon lose our position of chicken leadership.  But we believe that all of you are up to that challenge; if not today, then soon, for we will all work together and help each other."

"I now put the motion to a vote.  Do you Canadian chicken farmers accept your recommended destiny of working towards doing the best we can for Canadians, and being the best chicken producers in the world?"

To the best of my knowledge, Canada's chicken farmers haven't done that yet.  But if they so choose, they could do it tomorrow.

But they won't.

Likely, they'll scoff, call me names, summarily dismiss and never consider this idea until it's too late to save themselves.

That's why Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada (“SFPFC”) exists.

SFPFC will work tirelessly towards encouraging (or forcing) the changes that must occur in the Supply Management systems of Canada.


Glenn Black, President
Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada

Fake Chicken: The Last Laugh

My youngest daughter was a vegetarian for a while, and I was therefore exposed to Tofu hotdogs.  It wasn't a pleasant experience, so I wasn't interested in repeating it.  Maybe all that will be changing soon.

New York Times article: Finally Fake Chicken Worth Eating

Here we have another example of what will soon be an alternative to raising live chickens.  Chickens are one of the best animal for converting vegetable matter to meat, an FCR (Feed Conversions Ratio) as low as 1.28 for New Zealand chicken farms (see previous Blog posting), significantly better than the backward Canadian #ChickenMafia currently at a 1.75 FCR or worse.

This American scientist wants to cut out the middle-man middle-chicken, and convert soybean meal directly to a chicken meat substitute, at a lower cost than the sloppy #ChickenMafia and their animal rights abuses (or risk thereof).

Natural lean meat is about 85% water, so if we assume fake meat is the same % water, the fake chicken process could have a theoretical FCR of 0.15 which is 8.5 times better when compared to the world's best chicken farmer with their FCR of 1.28

Assuming chicken feed is $450/MT, a FCR of 1.28, chicken feed price is 60% of the total cost, 73% eviscerated weight, 50% markup at slaughter, and 50% markup at retail, we get the best possible retail price of $2.89/kg for real chicken.

Similarly, for fake chicken, we are using raw soy protein etc. at ~$2,000/MT, 85% water (15% soy+ protein), 50% markup at manufacturing, 50% markup at wholesale, and 50% markup at retail, we have a fake chicken price of $0.67/kg; which is 4.3 times cheaper than the real thing.

It may not be what people really want, but it fills the belly, keeps you alive, and it's affordable.

Is the competitive alternative of fake chicken the only way we will be able to force the #ChickenMafia to lower their prices and compete? Is this the only way that poor people will again be able to regularly afford "chicken"?

In the 1900's buggy whip manufacturers had a good thing going; but not so much anymore. Does  the #ChickenMafia have to prepare themselves for a similar fate?  How many years after 1900 did it take for the most pompous and arrogant buggy whip manufacturer to realize his days of wine and roses were all behind him?  I can believe that 95% of the #ChickenMafia scoff at this Blog posting, and find it ridiculous. We'll soon see.  Obsolete, fossilized dinosaurs is the current course the #ChickenMafia have chosen for themselves.

As you see in the video, the New York Times writer had trouble picking out the fake chicken from real once it was cooked into a meal.

If the #ChickenMafia isn't careful, if they push us too far, there will be more and more people looking to find ways to turn the #ChickenMafia into a fossilized dinosaur, and almost all of of the #ChickenMafia will be out of work.

The Billionaires and Trillionaires will always have their lobster tails, filet mignon, and champagne; they don't eat that much chicken.  The destitute can't afford anything.  It's the ones in the middle who buy the majority of all goods, including chicken. 

Fake chicken is when the animal rights people will have the last laugh at the #ChickenMafia 's expense.  That's when the animal rights people will have won, not the arrogant #ChickenMafia who overplayed their hand for way too long.

We can have our chicken and eat it too.

We don't have to defeat the #ChickenMafia, for the #ChickenMafia will defeat themselves.

We need to focus on finding, nurturing, and co-operating with our local food producers who are better aligned with our philosophies and share our goals.

Please remember to Tweet this posting, refer to it on your Facebook page, and get the word out to as many people as quickly as we can.  We have no time to lose.

Our better future without the #ChickenMafia awaits us.

Dr. Al Sears notes that the current fake chicken patty isn't formulated to be as nutritious as real chicken, so that part has yet to be improved.

Nutrients in real chicken Vs. fake chicken made from Soybeans and other
plant-based ingredients.  Real chicken is more nutritious.  Fake chicken
recipe needs to be improved, but it fills the belly and is affordable, unlike
real chicken in Canada.