Marketing board proposes name change, adjustments to advisory committees

by SUSAN MANN

The Ontario Tender Fruit Producers’ Marketing Board plans to change its name to Ontario Tender Fruit Growers.

Board chair Phil Tregunno says the proposal to change the organization’s name is being considered “to update the name. ‘Marketing board’ sort of has a bit of a negative connotation.”

But changing the name to Ontario Tender Fruit Growers “is more reflective of what we do,” he explains.

The proposal to change the organization’s name has been posted on the Ontario regulatory registry. Comments on the proposal are due by Nov. 3 and they are to be made to the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission.

Farmers attending the board’s series of annual meetings in March approved the proposed new name along with changes to industry committee structures. Regulation 433 under the Farm Products Marketing Act establishes two advisory committees – fresh market and processing. The committees provide a formal forum for the board and stakeholders to discuss matters, it says in a summary of the proposal on the regulatory registry.

“As far as the advisory boards, it’s just a housekeeping thing,” Tregunno says.

For the fresh market advisory committee, amendments would enable each dealer/shipper to appoint one representative to that committee rather than have the Canadian Produce Marketing Association appoint three members. The committee deals with pricing, packaging and promotion. The dealer/shippers are the ones who sell the vast majority of fresh fruit to retailers.

For the processing committee, current regulations enable one processing advisory committee to be established for the entire tender fruit industry. But each type of fruit has different matters so “one umbrella committee does not work well,” the summary says. Instead, the proposed amendments will enable the board to establish a processing advisory committee for each of peaches, pears, plums and cherries (sweet and sour).

Other proposed changes deal with the appointment of the chair for the processing committee and when the advisory committee members’ appointments expire. BF