by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Oct 01/97) - The cows have gone home, again.

Another chapter may be closed on the troubled history of dairy farming in the Northwest Territories. The NWT's only dairy farm, Myers Family Dairy, has shut down, at least for the winter.

Farmer Neil Myers, who just three months ago spearheaded a deal with the city to keep the dairy alive, said government inexperience in regulating the dairy industry is the main cause of the "suspension" of the business.

"If the government has had a dairy here for 10 years and has put no regulations in place to support that dairy, what can I say?" asked Myers in an interview Friday.

Myers accused the government of "just paying lip service to having agriculture in the NWT."

The Alberta farmer said even getting drinking water for his cattle was a headache.

"If my cows can't drink out of a lake, if I have to fill out an application to get them water, forget about it," said Myers. "Somebody else can fill it out."

It costs the dairy $50,000 a year to truck water in for the farm, he said.

Chief medical health officer for the western Arctic, Dr. Andre Corriveau, said Myers' complaints are ill founded.

"To blame it on the regulations, I think, is a cheap shot," said Corriveau. "We don't think the regulations are in any way, shape or form an impediment. They are there for a purpose, to make sure, when the public buys a litre of milk, they can be confident the system is working."

Corriveau said Yellowknife health and social services, which monitors the dairy, tried to work with Myers, but had to become more vigilant when it detected milk with high antibiotic and coliform counts.

Myers said the best solution to the problem would be for the government to hire a person knowledgable about dairy farm regulation to act as a liaison between him and regulators.

The 67 Holstein cows and one bull Myers brought to the dairy were loaded on two transport trucks bound for Grimshaw, Alta., Saturday morning.

Myers said he lost between $50,000 and $100,000 on the farm this summer.

Apart from the cutting of regulatory red tape, the farm requires cash to become more economical, said the farmer. Presently, it has no manure handling system, water system and no effective feed system, said Myers.

"In order to make these improvements I have to make a capital commitment to the property and in order to do that I have to be reasonably confident its going to make a profit," said Myers.

He sent out letters to consumers and local retailers informing them of the indefinite suspension of operations. In the letter, Myers makes several suggestions on ways consumers can help bring the cows back.

"Help us decide to either/or a) commence home delivery b) work on resuming the farm next year c) give up like any normal person would," wrote Myers.