by SUSAN MANN
Local food legislation to boost Ontario’s farm product sales is an appealing idea but some farm leaders say more details are needed to tell if it will benefit growers.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced the provincial government’s intention to introduce a local food bill that supports, promotes, and celebrates Ontario-produced food. The proposed bill hasn’t been introduced at Queen’s Park yet. McGuinty made the announcement Tuesday at the International Plowing Match in Roseville near Ayr.
In a Sept. 18 press release the provincial government says the Local Food Act would support a leading provincial industry that annually contributes more than $33 billion to the economy and employs more than 700,000 Ontarians.
Several Ontario farm group leaders see the proposal as positive for the industry and its farmers but one group, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, has concerns Canada’s regulatory system doesn’t support a local food system.
CFFO president Lorne Small says “you can’t help but like the idea” of local food legislation. But if there’s going to be a local food system “you need to have a regulatory system that supports it.”
Small says farmers involved in local food marketing are “really frustrated with the regulatory process.” The regulations causing them grief come from all levels of government.
While farmers agree that everyone wants safe food, “the burden of the regulatory pressure is really discouraging for those people.” He says he’s not convinced local food legislation will improve farmers’ incomes unless the accompanying regulations are appropriate for the industry.
Small says farmers agree with food safety regulations but question ones “that don’t make sense to them” and are just rules because someone likes to make rules.
Mark Wales, Ontario Federation of Agriculture president, says even though Tuesday’s announcement wasn’t specific that’s okay because it’s just setting the stage for the act that’s going to come.
What would local food legislation mean for OFA members? Wales says it would hopefully mean some greater marketing opportunities and increased consumption of local products by both consumers and processors. There are also opportunities for better and more consistent labelling of fresh produce on store shelves and the development of local food hubs, such as the Elmira Produce Auction, a regional wholesale market.
Wales says such legislation could also lead to greater consumption of Ontario product in government institutions. “That’s something we’ve all been pushing for as well.”
Ann Slater, coordinator for the National Farmers Union in Ontario, says they’re supportive of some type of local food legislation “because we’d like to see more emphasis on supplying the domestic market.” The proposed bill has the potential to increase emphasis on Ontario food for the province’s residents and to support provincial farmers.
But details aren’t known yet and “I think we need to know that,” she says.
One of the ideas the Ontario NFU wants to see “is a focus on rebuilding the relationship between those who grow and harvest food and those who eat it,” Slater says. Another idea is for the province to redirect its overall agri-food policy to domestic food first instead of trade first.
Don Mills, president of Local Food Plus, notes the idea of a local food bill has been in the works since last spring and “I think it’s a great idea.”
If passed into legislation it would recognize that the domestic market is an important part of the future, he says. Focusing on the domestic market could benefit farmers by encouraging new entrants into the industry and enabling those with business plans to firm them up. “It’s also a signaling that the government recognizes from a business perspective local food is a good thing,” he notes.
A spokesperson for the grocery division of the Retail Council of Canada wasn’t available for comment today. BF
Comments
Small Flock Exemption. September 6, 2012
The Practical Farmers of Ontario is a grassroots membership based farm organization that works on behalf of farmers to represent their views and needs.
The PFO is working to create an environment where family scale, diverse farms can coexist alongside larger specialized farming neighbors.
The PFO wants the number of meat birds one farm can raise annually without quota increased to 2000 birds per year. This is a practical number that can justify raising meat birds as part of a diverse farming operation.
Our research has revealed that all other provinces have exemption levels significantly higher than the current 300 bird exemption here in Ontario. The current 300 bird level is neither practical nor viable, it is inefficient and appears by design to assure failure.
This restriction doesn’t represent the market demand for large roasters or other specialty birds. The low number eliminates any possibility to transition to quota ownership, considering the minimum number of birds a quota owner can raise is 15,000 per cycle.
Alberta: allows for 2000 birds per farm before requiring a farmer to own quota.
British Columbia: allows each farmer 2000 birds with an annual fee of $20.00 per farm.
Manitoba: a farmer to raise 999 birds without quota, but that number can be increased if the farmer can show there is demand for the specialty product they are raising.
Nova Scotia: a new farmer in their first year can produce up to 500 birds. After the first year the producer can apply to raise up 10,000 birds per year without quota. They must pay an annual fee of $25.00 per farm, an 0.8 cent per bird levy, and also a 0.025 cent a bird license fee.
Saskatchewan: allows for 999 birds per farm without any quota ownership.
Pg. 1 of 2
Continued from Pg, 1 0f 1
Ontario's population of 13,372,996 people provides a major market advantage over our farming neighbors to the west. Ontario makes up roughly 38% of the national population and has an annual growth rate of 1.2%. This populace is comprised of a diverse ethnic component and strong growing demand for small scale viable chicken production. Conversely, a decreasing farm population in the province has dwindled from 67,520 in 1996 to 51,950 in 2011 representing a decrease of 23% in just 15 years.
There is conclusive evidence to justify raising the quota exemption level from the current 300 bird maximum to 2000 birds. The PFO wants this change introduced for the spring of 2013, in time for farmers to order chicks and prepare for their arrival.
We respectfully request a written response within 60 days, failing which we are prepared to elevate the matter and file for a more objective, public venue, by an OMAFRA Tribunal hearing.
Our request is reasonable and the exemption increase for non quota holders is long overdue.
We look forward to your positive response.
Sean McGivern
President Practical Farmers of Ontario
Conversely, a decreasing farm population in the province has dwindled from 67,520 in 1996 to 51,950 in 2011 representing a decrease of 23% in just 15 years.
It is a known fact that Ontario farmers only get programs that are good for the personal interest of the farmleaders and their .So keep promoting meat birds and we know were PFO represents. When you see school buses travel rural roads and not stop for sschool cidren yo know rural population is gone. We have seen farmers use school buses to transport hogs and maybe sart haling to market meat birds
it is just great ,,,,free trade was promoted and we lost factories to china Our workers have no factory jobs we import food from china with no regulation of pesticides etc These Ministers are no better than figurebhelds while civil servants make policy
How many years ago did they say that the Asian and Indian population was in the billions and Canada companies would be sending ship loads of goods over there. Well folks they were right, look at all the raw products the companies of Canada send over there and bring back the final products. I guess the goverment was right-on what they said,only the people mistook what was lead to believe that we would be sending finish products over instead of what is happening now.
So Canadians we better start reading between the lines when the GOVERMENT TALKS.
its mind bloggling to think how annoying it is hear supply management supporters tell us that there are no differences in the retail prices on dairy products in the USA compared to Canada. Then i tune into CBC today well disking to hear about a major bust involving police officers smuggling US chesse into Canada, because of how huge the price differnce is. It sounded as if it was more lucrative than other illegal options...
Sean McGivern
Practical Farmers of Ontario
'USDA's Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC), administered by the Farm Service Agency's (FSA), compensates dairy producers when domestic milk prices fall below a specified level. The 2008 Farm Bill authorized MILC through Sept. 30, 2012. The program has no set funding level.'
Expiration of this program leaves Wisconsin’s 12,000 dairy farmers (USA has approx. 65,000 dairy farmes) vulnerable to future price shocks.
So the cheese and milk Canadians buy in cross-border shopping is subsidized by the USA Farm Bill.
I wonder what americans would say if they knew they were subsidizing Canadians' milk and cheese habits.... especially with their current $16 TRILLION debt.
joann
Your "logic" ignores two points. Firstly, you ignore that somewhere around 8 million Ontario consumers, regardless of their level of income, pay, even according to the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, almost 38% more for milk than US consmers, solely to support several thousand Ontario dairy farmers. Secondly, you ignore that the poorest group of consumers supports Canadian dairy farmers, while the richest group of taxpayers, including even Mitt Romney and Warren Buffett, as well as every major corporation, pays for whatever support US dairy farmers get. Therefore, comparing US and Canadian support for dairy farmers is like comparing apples and grapefruit - there's no comparison at all, plus the US program doesn't pit farmers against one another the way supply management does here.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
You have warped my observations and question. People don't go over the border because of a possible pseudo internal battle between farmers. People go because its cheaper. Its about money.
And its cheaper for Canadians because the milk/cheese is subsidized by american tax-payers.
End of story.
Do you really think Americans would enjoy hearing they are subsidizing Canadians for an even cheaper food policy?
I didn't "warp" anything. We pay almost 38% more for milk than US consumers, and that money goes from poor Canadian consumers to rich Canadian farmers - in the US, any money transferred comes from rich taxpayers, including corporations, and goes to often-poor farmers. And you also missed the point about about Americans - they view people coming from Canada to buy US milk as increased sales for them, nothing more, nothing less. Our stupidity is their gain.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
How do you think Americans would feel about 200% tarrif protection for a monopoly?
All the goverment has to do is lower the tarriff 's on milk and cheese and you not have the cross- border shopping and smuggling
I hope the goverment is aware of this
Government had better be asking for input from the farm organizations before they create a nightmare
Asking for input from Farm organizations would be a nightmare .
Francis
Post new comment