Driving Circumstances and Issues

Summary of Driving Circumstances and Issues Behind Organic Egg Producers vs. Egg Marketing Board

List of contacts:

• Fred Reid (egg farmer) (604) 856-7572
• Rod Reid (egg farmer, feed supplier, best contact for legal stuff) (604) 857-5781
• Stephen Easterbrook (egg farmer currently in negotiation with egg marketing board) (604) 244-9345
• Leo and Shelley Deschamps (turkey farmers) 1-866-611-3311
• Rick Llewellyn (dairy farmer) (250) 442-7729
• Grace Sisters (dairy farmers), Brad Reid (chicken farmer) (604) 856-5050
• Peter Whitlock (BC Egg Marketing Board)
• Peter Graystone (mushroom farmer) (604) 857-8959
• Gunta Vitins (involved in a plan to review marketing boards and organic production)

Driving Circumstances:
Fred Reid of Olera Farms, the lead negotiatior for organic egg producers in past meetings with the Egg Marketing Board, has been singled out by the Marketing Board. The Egg Marketing Board is now in the process of imposing back levies on Fred, arbitrarily and dating back to 1999, for all eggs he has sold during that time. Fred will be fined, not just for the eggs he produced from his own flock, but also for those he graded and sold for other farmers.

Issues:

1. Small farms and niche marketers, worldwide, have never benefited by being part of these large, generic, marketing boards. Marketing boards work against alternative producers by insisting that all product is the same and can therefore be pooled for marketing purposes. Examples in the past of small, artisan producers voting themselves out of a marketing board system: BC’s wine industry and Eastern Canada’s maple syrup industry. Individual businesses in these cases have flourished since they have been allowed to develop their own distinct product and do their own marketing.


2. We should have the right to be able to farm in a way that is congruent with our commitment to securing a sustainable future.


3. All other producers have had the right to vote themselves in or out of a marketing board in the past, for example, BC’s pepper producers voted themselves out of a marketing board.


4. BC’s organic egg producers said NO to being part of the marketing board and were ignored.


5. The very high cost of quota ($75/bird) has prevented small producers from participating.


6. The Egg Marketing Board requires participants to pay levies on each dozen of eggs sold. This money goes to support the caged layer industry and organic egg farmers are not interested in supporting something that goes totally against what they believe in.

What can people do about this?

1. attend the third annual Chicken and Egg Dance, Feb. 14/04 starting at 6:00 pm at the Capri Hall, Vancouver. Watch this space for more details


2. send a donation to the Organic Friends of the Future, Aldergrove Credit Union, 2941 - 272nd Street, Aldergrove, B. C. V4W 3R3, Account No. 342568 Br. 2


3. Visit Capers and sign the petition


4. Tune into our website: http://organics.bc.ca for more information or to participate in discussion


5. continue writing and email your MLA, the Minister of Agriculture and BC’s Premier

More information:
A class action suit is being filed by BC organic egg producers against the egg marketing board. The basic issues are:

1. does the BC Egg Marketing Scheme give the Marketing Board the right to regulate production and marketing of organic eggs?
2. has the BC Egg Marketing Board engaged in unlawful interference with the organic egg farmers in their attempt to earn a living selling certified organic eggs?
3. did the Egg Marketing Board wrongfully exercise their lawful authority, some example of which would be: attempting to impose quota, attempting to impose fees and levies, attempting to undermine or eliminate the organic egg industry and creating a parallel stream of organic eggs?
4. are the organic egg producers entitled to an award of damages arising from their treatment by the Marketing Board?

A court date for the class action suit is set in February 2005.

Where do we want to go from here?
We need to insure that we keep up a regular flow of information so concerned people know what is going on. The Marketing Boards are known for delaying their actions so as to avoid the brunt of public disapproval. We hope to avoid this by keeping the public continually informed and ready to respond to future Marketing Board transgressions.