OFA Commentary 0810
Federal action necessary
By Bette Jean Crews, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
February 26, 2010 - Partners in the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition find themselves up against a brick wall when they turn for action to Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Hon. Gerry Ritz.
Ontario farmers are rapidly losing equity and their farm businesses because today’s risk management programs do not work.
When we talk to Minister Ritz, he says 80 per cent of farmers think the Federal AgriStability program is working for them. Yet, 80 per cent of Ontario farmers tell OFA the program is failing them and is in desperate need of major adjustments.
Minister Ritz, speaking at the recent annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture says technology, science, research and innovation will save agriculture. In the long-term, he may be right, but right now, how do our farmers invest in innovation with record debt levels and lost equity.
The situation is bleak on Ontario farms and the Minister has to understand that there will be serious and irreparable damage to Ontario’s rural economy as a result. Our OASC coalition has developed the solutions to stabilize and sustain our farm businesses so that we can capitalize on technology and innovation in a more secure future.
The minister recently claimed that farmers are a resilient group, and will continue to plant and to birth calves and so on. That was the case but it is no longer true. Ontario farm businesses have lost equity and are in debt. There is no more resiliency left. The Minister has to get in touch with the new reality and listen to the solutions that will turn this dire situation around.
Farm leaders within the OASC group predict that thousands of Ontario farmers will exit agriculture each year. There will be a major loss of jobs in the agri-food sector as agricultural production disappears because of the failure of government to properly invest in agriculture.
Ontario’s new minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, the Honourable Carol Mitchell, understands this situation and supports the proposals we have brought forward. But the risk management programs operate on a 60-40 federal–provincial split so we need our federal government to step up to the plate with a real commitment to farming in this country.
A recent news release from OFA and its OASC partners expressed disappointment at the failure of agriculture ministers from Ottawa, the provinces and the territories to ‘understand and appreciate’ the problems currently facing farmers.
In that release, OFA stated: ‘(Ministers) need to realize that our local food supply is in jeopardy along with thousands of farming and processing jobs.’
Ontario’s minister gets it. Why can’t Minister Ritz?
When I recently asked point blank if he would support the proposals to reform AgriStability to make it predictable and bankable and to support the Ontario Business Risk Management Plan the Minister simply said: “No”. That is unacceptable.
All Ontario farmers need to make sure his colleagues in government understand that is unacceptable. Ontario farm families need to raise their voices to tell our federal politicians that a serious investment in Ontario agriculture is needed and warranted. Call your Member of Parliament and make sure they make farming and food production a priority.
-30-
www.ofa.on.ca
