RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Standing Committee on Agricult Zep - yes retired 9 yrs ago. Been invested in BNC since IPO. The ? always is who should pay - producer/backgrounder/finishing feedlot/packing plants/retailer/taxpayer. I believe and have been doing behind the scenes work to try and convince the CCA to take responsibility, and be pro-active. I am convinced if the CCA get behind this it will be a government sponsored program. It is tough to have spot compliance around the country because of co-mingling that happens at marketing time. I have told the CCA that if they do not endorse a nation wide program they will be litigated into it. Legal authorities have and are holding producers responsible and this will only continue. 0157 is calculated to be costing cattlemen $5/100wt ie ~$50/hd on a finished animal. Anyway you calculate this it is cost effective for everyone. By the results of the last couple producer polls I think we are slowly winning.
I do not agree that if/when GMP validation occurs the plant should be spun off. The day it is validated will be one of the best days ever for BNC. How can BNC sign production contracts without validation - they can't. We just have to hope cash flow holds. The wheels in CFIA grind very slowly.
Efficacy - you don't need 100% on any vaccine to be effective. In fact it has been scientifically postulated that a reduction of summer levels of 0157 to that level which exists in winter is really all that is needed. This all has to commence at the cow/calf level and lower the e-coli burden in the 4% in the population that are super shedders.
I encourage everyone to get the facts and inform all stakeholders and government MP's. Tell them to look a child in the eye who is on dialysis and explain to them a vaccine is available and cost effective but do not think we should implement it.
Hang in there - this is not the first financial hurdle and somehow Graeme has always managed to dodge the big bullet.