HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-02-15, Page 2Page 2 February 15, 2006 • The Huron Expositor
News
Local farmers tentative about federal promise
Concerns expressed about how $755 million will be divided between struggling farmers
Jeff Heuchert
Some good news is on
its way for Ontario
grain and oil seed pro-
ducers - good news in
the sum of $755 mil-
lion.
The money is . coming
from the new
Conservative govern-
ment after it decided to
keep the promise made
by the former Liberal
Minister of
Agriculture.
The announcement
was made to around 25
Perth and Huron
County farmers last
Thursday at the
Dublin Community
Centre by the presi-
dent of the Ontario
Federation of
Agriculture (OFA) Ron
Bonnett.
In addition to the fed-
eral funding, the
province will put forth
some money as well,
although that number
is yet to be finalized.
Traditionally though,
government funding
has come at a 60 per
cent federal to 40 per
cent provincial ratio..
Still, Bonnett. said
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Jeff Heuchert photo
Bob Martin, Perth County Federation of Agriculture president, and Ron -Bonnett, Ontario Federation
of Agriculture president, field questions from Huron and Perth County farmers during last Thursday's
stop in Dublin during a recent provincial tour by the OFA.
farmers need Canadian Agriculture ers.
around $2 billion Income Stabilization The CAIS program
to cover the dam-
age left over the %MEM
past couple of
years.
Another issue
raised at the
meeting was how
close the .govern-
ment is to imple-
menting a new
risk manage-
ment program
(RMP).,
T h e
Conservative
government has
said they plan to
scrap the current
'They (Ontario and. Ottawa)
don't take food production
seriously,'--
Seaforth farmer
Jim Ryan
(CAIS) program.
Concerns were voiced
by many of the farmers
over how the $755 mil-
lion would be divided
out to struggling farm -
uses a
system where
money is divided based
on farmers eligible net
sales from 2002-04.
But, for any new
farmers, or a farmer
who was -
not regis-
t e r e d
under
CAIS, no
money was
available.
Under
the RMP,
created by
grain and
oil seed
producers,
any farm-
ers could
apply for
funding.
A good
amount of
time was
taken dur-
ing the
meeting to
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discuss the two rallies,
one held Feb. 14 in
Guelph, and the other
Feb. 21 in Ottawa.
Zurich Farmer Joe
Vermunt said all farm-
ers needed to go to
show their support for
other farmers.
"-Too many things .are
going on. We're getting
screwed over," he said.
Farmer Jim Ryan, of
Seaforth, said they had
to change the thoughts
in Ontario and Ottawa.
"They don't take food
production seriously,"
he said.
Varna Farmer Wayne
Hamilton said they
must show the govern-
ment that farmers are
serious.
"We need to be firm,
stand up and -get
results. If we don't, we
need to prepare to take
it to the next level."
When asked what
that next level might
be, Bonnett said the
OFA had discussed
some ideas, but
wouldn't elaborate on
them.