Gerry Ritz

Conservative MP Gerry Ritz resumed his post as federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food when Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled his cabinet appointments earlier today.

OTTERVILLE – Don’t count on a mass exodus to fields of potatoes, sweet corn or strawberries just yet but there are signs these may soon be attractive alternatives for beleaguered tobacco growers throughout Southwestern Ontario.

Tobacco growers opting to take a federal government buyout for their quota can't return to the industry, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada confirms.

This week, the federal government collected fines and civil compensation from tobacco companies totaling $1.15 billion for orchestrating a cigarette smuggling operation in the 1990s, and promptly passed on a little more than $300 million to hardpressed growers and tobacco belt communities. Provincial agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky says nobody told her about the buyout and she strongly disagrees with the way it is being financed.

There were some tense moments but by the end of last month, U.S. politicians had essentially given the green light to their massive Farm Bill – overriding their president’s decision to veto the law. And as the dust settles, two industry analysts on this side of the border confirm its contents could have a profound effect on Canadian producers.

If you’re a tobacco grower wanting to exit the industry, don’t expect any new exit programs from the federal government.

Up until late last year, Phil Anwender ran a 500-sow, farrow to finish operation. But in December, as the loonie’s value rose and market hog prices crashed, this Sebringville-area producer decided it was time to get out.

They weren’t mentioned in a pre-budget release of changes to agricultural risk management primarily aimed to bolster a struggling livestock sector, and they weren’t mentioned in yesterday’s unveiling of the federal budget. That has tobacco growers steamed, says the chair of the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers’ Marketing Board.