The Lucknow Sentinel, 1997-03-19, Page 71Groups band t�gether.
against 0 RA cuts
by Jennifer Vandermeer
AIi farm organizatiatis in
Ontario have banded together
againstfurther funding' cuts to.
the Ontario .Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural..
Affairs (OMAFRA).
The 36 groups' have'formed
The Farmers of Ontario -This
organization includes every
group, from Dairy. Farmers of
Ontario to, Federated Women's
Institute. of Ontario 'to the
Ontario Colored Bean Growers'
Association,
" The groups got together and
• decided enough is enough," said
Barry MacCormack, spokesman
for the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture,
The united front has been
presented to Noble Villeneuve,
Minister of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs by way of a,
brief Asking for an end to the.
cuts and urging more reinvest-
ment in the agri-food" industry.
• Over the last five years, there
:has been a 44 percent cut to the
OMAFRA budget. This has•
affected :OMAFRA's•. ability ' to
fund research ,and education;.
safety net'programs such as
crop insurance; and inspection
and land stewardship programs.
MacCortnack said support'for
the industry'has,eroded so much
that it can't stand any further
'cuts, The 1995-96 budget for
Agri -food programs `was, $268
million, This year. the projected
budget is $246 million.,
The Partners of Ontario has`
outlined its .case -in a four page..
"circular that includes the
strengths of the agri-food'indus-
try;: contributions •made by
OMAFRA; 'and contains an
open letter to government offi-
• cials. It was distributed to
50,000 rural' households.
MacCormac•k 'said farmers
arenot the only ones- who bene-
fit from OMAFRA programs
but al'"so consumers, .;by way of
such things as inspection pro-,
grams.
Since its formation, the orga-
nization has presented its .case
twice to Villeneuve and also to
other • branches of the. provincial
government.
government pestici
ia.n. under review
by'Andy Bader
Concern that a federal Pesti-
cide plan possibly raising prices. .
.for the producer as•we11 as the
consumer , has ,helped place it
under review. - `
In January,: Health' Canada's
.new . Pest -----Management
Regulatory Agency (PMRA)
which regulates the • licencing of
pesticides, herbicides and: other
farm •inputs-••-introdticed a plan
that will seek to recover '$12.3
niillion'of:its annual $27 Million
operating. budget From product
manufacturers, Presumably,
costs will.be.passed on directly
to farnners-
• :But'the Ontario Federation 'of
Agriculture -(OFA) is of ;the
.opinion that this cost recovery'
plan "will undermine the com-
petitive. position of Canadian.
farnners" without providing any
additional. human health :Or
environinental protection to res-.
' idents,.`OFA President Tony
Morns says.
The Perth County Federation
of Agriculture'(PFA) has kept
their lytp, John Richardson of
the Perth"Wei1ii gtbn Waterloo"
riding, abieast'of the issue, and
he has been proactive in the
lobby against the plan, Past
President Mary -McIntosh, said
recently.
Richardson said a fewl.'weeks
ago that the entire plan.is under
review,
"It's one ;of those things that
has grown': too big, too fast," he
said. "The ctfst recovery will, be
too high.
"weneed a little more sensi
bility:"`
, It is also the OFAys position
that the PMRA's proposed regu
'latory system willresult *in
fewer pest control products
being offered . for sale °to
Canadian farmers., In order, to
remain competitive:- in a .global
marketplace, farmers must have
access to the same pest control,
• products, at the swine time, and
for the same cost, as do their.
competitors;
At the present time, Federal
Health Minister David Dingwall.
is• looking at the situation;
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