Forums aim to cut ag -related red tape Thursday, August 25, 2011 by BETTER FARMING STAFFRepresentatives from Ontario’s agriculture industry met Friday with staff from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for the first of what will be regular forums intended to cut through regulatory red tape.The forum is one of several new provincial measures to reduce regulatory pressures on the industry. OMAFRA also plans to conduct internal reviews of regulations with the first round to be completed by the end of this year. As well, the ministry recently expanded the scope of its call centre to manage enquiries from the agriculture and food sector about activities initiated by other ministries, such as inspection and enforcement.The Ontario Federation of Agriculture was approached a year ago to lead consultations with the province’s agriculture and food industry says president Bette Jean Crews, one of the Friday forum’s two co-chairs (John Burke, OMAFRA deputy minister, was the other.) The federation was asked to identify five regulatory priorities for the government to address.Crews says the federation consulted with members, held central meetings in Toronto and Guelph and met with processors, input suppliers and retailers. “The first thing that we heard from everybody was; ‘consult with industry early and often’,” says Crews.The interpretation of regulations by some inspectors and enforcement officers was an issue identified as needing attention as well as the points where the roles of the two authorities overlapped. “We see that a lot in the small meat packing and processing,” Crews says. The five priorities eventually identified included: establishing a mandatory, early consultative process for new regulations; reducing overlaps, consistent and accurate interpretation of regulations across ministries; streamlining the licensing, permitting and approvals process; and introducing regulatory compliance initiatives.Crews notes the province is addressing many of the priorities. For example, permits to take water are being streamlined to “make it really easy for farmers to do it so the permit can be turned around, worst case scenario, in six weeks. But they should be able to turn them around in a couple of weeks so when you need to take water for irrigation, you’ve got it.” She acknowledges that it may be more difficult to streamline drainage permits because of the different levels of government and the number of provincial ministries. But there is a commitment to work towards a one-permit system where possible. Crews notes that there has been a lot of regulatory reform over the years and because there’s always a need to reform and modernize these, the need to continue the work won’t ever go away. However, she says the approach the province is now taking is a little different from what went on before.“I have great hopes for this.”The next forum is scheduled for December. BF New funds for bee virus testing Grain elevators running soon despite tornado damage
Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth Monday, June 30, 2025 Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online