© AgMedia Inc.
by BETTER FARMING STAFF
The head of Ontario Pork is questioning the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission decision to appoint a Brant County hog producer to the committee that’s overseeing the restructuring of the province’s hog industry.
Curtiss Littlejohn, chair of Ontario Pork, calls recently appointed Paul Bootsma a “solid producer,” but says he’s “somewhat surprised” that the Commission is adding members to the committee at such a late stage and with a stay resulting from appeals to the province’s Farm Products Appeal Tribunal in place.
Geri Kamenz, the Commission’s chair, says with Ontario Pork “walking away from the process, we looked at making sure that the process had integrity moving forward.”
Ontario Pork withdrew from Hog Industry Advisory Committee meetings last week, explaining that continued participation would be “in contempt” of Farm Products Appeal Tribunal regulations, due to the stay. Two farmers, as well as the Huron Pork Producers Association have appealed the Commission’s October decision to strip Ontario Pork of its agency powers. Ontario Pork wants the stay’s terms clarified before participating further.
The Commission maintains the Tribunal’s stay doesn’t prevent planning activity. Kamenz says the withdrawal of Ontario Pork meant representation of small- to mid-size producers on the committee needed a boost.
To that end, it appointed Bootsma.
Based in Brant County, Bootsma has a 200-sow farrow to finish operation and chairs the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario’s pork advisory committee. CFFO supports dual marketing.
Bootsma, who attended his first committee yesterday, says he was one of the Commission’s first picks when appointing members in the fall but since he couldn’t attend the first two meetings, became an alternate member instead.
Greg Haskett, recently elected as Oxford County’s Ontario Pork board director, says he’s surprised by the appointment but the decision to add representation from small- to mid-size producers “makes sense.”
Haskett, who says he’s “100 per cent behind” the Commission’s ruling, calls Ontario Pork’s decision to withdraw from the committee “irresponsible,” even though he understands the decision was made on legal advice.
Perth County producer and former Ontario Pork chair Larry Skinner is also troubled that the commodity organization has withdrawn from committee talks. “Principally or morally speaking, it’s not right for them not to be there,” he says wondering how planning can continue. “The majority of the concerns being dealt with by the HIAC committee have direct implication on how Ontario Pork will function in the future.”
Skinner says Bootsma might bring a solid perspective to the table, but isn’t a fair substitute for the commodity organization.
He says he’s concerned with the approach the Commission has taken to the industry restructuring. No legal lines have been crossed but the Commission is “pushing against the edges of what it morally or appropriately should do on behalf of producers,” he says. “There needs to be a democratic engagement of producers to effect the kind of significant changes … that the Commission is proposing here.”
Skinner predicts a backlash will take place from producers concerned about how the changes are being introduced. He points out that the industry was already prepared to take some more steps towards open marketing before the Commission stepped in.
Skinner notes that the Commission’s could apply the same approach to other commodities that might encounter similar challenges in the future.
Kamenz says that Ontario Pork can still return to the table. Whether Bootsma would continue to sit on the committee after the organization’s return would be determined at that point, he says.
Kamenz says he hopes producers will see past the Commission’s handling of the issue, and “look at the bigger picture here.”
He notes 85 per cent of the province’s hogs are sold under direct contract and Ontario Pork “acts as the clearing house for the money more or less. And so what we’re really talking about is making it easier for those hogs to move” and ensuring the availability of marketing and universal services for all producers.
The Commission wants Ontario Pork’s final plan for the transition to dual marketing by April 1. BF
Comments
Open marketers 8 --- Producers 0
And here we go again. I think this is the representative count at the hijack committee now
When will we as producers wake up and see what the FPMC is doing here. The FPMC is so intent on pounding its chest and saying we are right and all the rest of you (except for the 100 producers who represent 85% of production who started this mess - that’s what they say, not my words) are wrong
Where is Minister Dombrowsky in all of this? Is she not charged as Minister of Agriculture with ensuring producers are heard and respected, (oh but then I forgot she appointed the chair of the commission) in a legal process
The chair of the commission is ignoring the tribunals stay and flaunting it in the face of the government. I lifted this quote from above, Geri Kamenz, the Commission’s chair, stated “….. we looked at making sure that the process had integrity moving forward.”
When I tell my dog to stay I expect him to stay put.
Elmer Buchanan has questioned the right of small producers to be heard at our county meeting, they do not represent the industry he says. I am a large producer and no one seems to be listening to me, the dual marketers do not like me as I do not support them, so who speaks for me.
Ontario Pork is respecting the rules of the process and kudos’s to them for doing it!!!!
The sooner this gets to the legal setting of the tribunal and the bullshit gets filtered out the sooner I suspect we will all get the truth.
Perhaps the FPMC is afraid they cannot defend their decision in a court that has legal rules of procedure instead of a trumped up hearing that had a pre determined outcome.
For Kamenz to somewhat dismissively describe Ontario Pork's actions, which were presumeably taken on advice of legal counsel, as simply "walking away" from the process, is horrifying, and completely similar to the type of irresponsible charges people make during highly-emotional divorce procedings. Nothing done on the advice of responsible legal counsel, should ever be described in this type of patronizing manner.
Ontario Pork is the only party acting with any sort of grace and dignity in this entire sordid process.
More to the point, given that Ontario Pork seems to have been given a legal opinion that continued participation in the OFPMC-mandated process might place it in contempt of the ruling of the Farm Products Appeal Tribunal, the next, and completely logical, step is for someone, even the Appeal Tribunal itself, to claim that the OFPMC is acting in contempt of the Order issued by the Appeal Tribunal.
Who the heck does Geri Kamenz think he is.
Many producers from day one of this farce with the HIAC have been saying that the only people represented on the HIAC are those who want to see our marketing system destroyed, and Geri just adds another open marketer. If that is his idea of balance, I need him to balance my books.
It appears that there are conflicting legal opinions around the issues of a stay. As Minister Dombrowsky has chosen to remain silent on the issue I hope the Tribunal has the courage to speak clearly and chastise the party in the wrong here.
We are told there are better ways to do things. We should form value chains. We should build co-ops. Just follow the link pasted here
http://www.farmanddairy.com/columns/watchdog-bites-the-hands-that-fed-it...
to get the latest news on Meadowbrook, a producer owned co-op that has been touted by some, as a perfect model for how producers can work outside the system to better themselves. Very seldom in history have a few been more successful than the combined efforts of the many. Note the comments on how effective the Packer and Stockyards act is.
Some of the people who have led the charge to destroy an efficient marketing structure believe in the Meadowbrook management approach. They have led the FPMC down a path. They would see Ontario Pork, that has a near perfect record of seeing producers paid on time and correctly, destroyed, to save their owners a few pennies and hopefully postpone the inevitable.
It is stil not too late to stop this tom foolery, I can only hope the Tribunal is not just another lap dog for the few who want change to benefit themselves.
Post new comment