Alberta advisor pushes for end to beef ban

(August 1, 2003) An independent insurance advisor based in rural Alberta has launched his own one-man campaign in an effort to resolve the country’s beef crisis. Gerold Haukenfrers of Wetaskawin, Alberta, has sent out a mass e-mail urging Canadians to put pressure on politicians to help lift an international ban on Canadian beef imports. A number of countries, including the U.S., barred Canadian beef after a single case of mad cow disease was discovered in Alberta on May 20.

“I am asking that you all collectively phone, e-mail or write your local, regional, provincial and state as well as federal representatives urging them to take a proactive response in ending the Canadian beef ban,” Haukenfrers said in his e-mail, which was posted on Advisor.ca’s Talvest Town Hall.

“It’s not much but at least I can hopefully motivate some people to do something and hopefully we can get this thing resolved,” Haukenfrers added in an interview with Advisor.ca. The advisor calls the ban “ludicrous,” since there’s no evidence the disease has spread.

“We had one lousy cow and that cow never got into the food chain,” he says.

Haukenfers says the ban has had a “horrendous” impact on rural Alberta, a fact often overlooked by Canadians living in cities.

“If farmers have no money and no place to sell their product, it translates in a rural environment to everybody hurting,” he says. Estimates show the province is losing as much as $11 million a day due to the beef ban.

Haukenfrers suggests those interested in joining the campaign contact local politicians and anyone else they know who might be able to exert some influence. “For example, I sent a note to my member of parliament asking him to apply pressure on whoever he knows that has some leverage, primarily in the U.S. and Japan.”

Even though the U.S. is by far the largest buyer of Canadian beef, Japan has been the main stumbling block. The Japanese government has threatened to ban U.S. beef if the Americans open their border to Canada.

Haukenfrers, who estimates he’s sent e-mails to about 100 contacts, says he has had some positive responses from people wanting to join the campaign.

And he says he’s willing to consider other options if the situation isn’t resolved soon. “If something doesn’t happen in the next few weeks, I might become a little more vocal or forceful in my communications,” he says. “This is devastating our rural economy.”

Filed by Doug Watt, Advisor.ca, dwatt@advisor.ca