Levy increase for Ontario's turkey producers

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

by SUSAN MANN

The levy Ontario turkey farmers pay to fund their provincial and national organizations has gone up by 1.5 cents a kilogram of live weight.

The levy was increased to 4.60 cents per kilogram of live weight from 3.1 cents per kilogram of live weight.

Phil Boyd, executive director of Turkey Farmers of Canada, says 1.6 cents of the new levy will go to the national levy that is used to fund the administration and activities of Turkey Farmers. Turkey Farmers of Ontario will use the remaining three cents to fund its administration and activities.

An amendment to the turkey marketing producers levy order listing the new levy was posted on the Canada Gazette last month. Boyd says the order was registered on May 12.

The order is effective on the day it’s registered, it says in Canada Gazette.

Boyd says the levy would be deducted from producers’ payments. Processors deduct the levy and forward it to Turkey Farmers of Ontario. “The Ontario board as our agent remits our portion of the levy,” he explains.

The levy applies to turkey marketed both within the province and for export. BF