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posted on August 28, 2008
Experts see local farms as safer option
By: Cindy E. Harnett
Published: 27.aug.08
Source: Times Colonist
The article on Times Colonist websiteMore locally produced food won't stop people from getting foodborne illnesses, but in the wake of a the deadly listeria outbreak connected to the death of 15 people so far, including one from Vancouver Island, it would help reduce the scale of the tragedy, Tom Henry says.
"When you put all your eggs in one basket, it affects a lot of people in contrast with a small slaughterhouse or butcher shop," said Henry, a local author and editor of Small Farm Canada.
If an outbreak happened in a Ladysmith plant, for example, there would be perhaps one or two deaths and a dozen illnesses, and the products could be retraced and people contacted quickly, Henry said.
Meanwhile, recent outbreaks connected with spinach, tomatoes and cheese have affected people nationally and internationally.
That's not to say Vancouver Island farmers by any stretch could feed the entire Island, Henry said, although they could do much more with the co-operation and assistance of government.
Unfortunately, the industry is "hurdling backwards" due to over-regulation and fewer people willing to enter the profession.
And big scares, like the deadly listeriosis outbreak, only make matters worse, said Brent Warner, executive director of Farmers Markets Canada.
"We can't go back to simply feeding ourselves, but we can put much more emphasis on local food. But when these big outbreaks happen, because of public pressure, the government ratchets up the safeguards for big industry which puts [unbearable] cost pressures on the small producers," Warner said.
Warner refers to expensive testing equipment or machines designed for plants that might process 100,000 animals a month rather than farmers who might slaughter five in the same period.
Dr. Lorna Medd, Vancouver Island Health Authority medical health officer, says this deadly outbreak and others demonstrate the failings of our very highly centralized food distribution system. "We need to work to re-localize the food system so we're not facing national outbreaks of this scale."
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