The Citizen, 1989-10-11, Page 15THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1989. PAGE 15.
Farmers must fight for change, Riddell tells HF A
Former agriculture minister Jack
Riddell called on farmers to take a
more active role in forcing govern
ment to listen to the concerns of
farmers when he spoke to the
annual meeting of the Huron
County Federation of Agriculture
Thursday night in Varna.
Governments must do something
soon to protect farmers from being
hurt by the continuing trade war,
Mr. Riddell said. He said the
United States government is not
going to sit back and let the
European Economic Community
take away markets and there is still
going to be a trade war. Without
strong voices in the provincial and
federal cabinets, he said, agricul
ture is not going to get the kind of
government protection it must have
in such a trade war. “It’s going to
be incumbent on you and your
organization to take a far more
active role,” Mr. Riddell told
Federation members.
Huron farmers needed the kind
of lobbying effort farmers from
Essex, Niagara, Haldiman and
Norfolk used in getting help be
cause of bad weather conditions
earlier this year, Mr. Riddell said.
As agriculture minister Mr. Riddell
had warned against undermining
the crop insurance program with
special grants but after he was
replaced as agriculture minister the
special funds came through. Mr.
Riddell said he was one of those
farmers in Huron that had just
suffered through three dry years in
a row and felt that deserved as
much help as one year of too much
rain in the other counties. “You
people should be lobbying people
for the same concession,” he said.
“I will be with you.”
Mr. Riddell said the government
might not like the stand he takes to
support local farmers but “I didn’t
go to Toronto to win a popularity
contest 17 years ago and I’m not
there to win a popularity contest
now.” Farmers he said, had to
learn from the lobbying efforts of
senior citizens. “You people have
got to be one of the strongest
lobbiests around.”
He said he would liked to have
stayed on longer as Agriculture
Minister to help meet challenges
brought on the Free Trade and the
General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade rulings against Canadian
import restrictions on dairy foods.
The U.S. is subsidizing farmers
more than Canadians are but
because they are 10 times bigger
they can get away with it, he said.
If the GATT ruling is confirmed, a
Chris Palmer
named HFA
president
Chris Palmer, RR 3, Wingham
was returned for a second term as
president of the Huron County
Fedreation of Agriculture at the
Federation’s annual meeting in
Varna Thursday night.
Brenda McIntosh of Tuckersmith
township was elected first vice-
president while Bob Harrison of
Grey township was named second
vice president.
Seven directors at large instead
of the normal six were named: Paul
Klopp, Harry Dougall, John Gaunt,
Walter McIlwain, Larry Plaetzer,
Ralph Scott and Bob Jefferson.
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far different kind of marketing
board is going to result in the
future, he said.
Mr. Riddell received a standing
ovation from those present when he
sat down but later in the meeting
during a rebate on a resolution to
A®-/-.
Executive
The new executive of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture was elected at the HFA’s annual
meeting in Varna Thursday night. Executive members include (front row, left to right) Brenda
McIntosh, vice-president; Chris Palmer, President; Bob Harrison, second vice-president; (back)
directors at large Paul Klopp, Harry Dougall, Walter Mell twain, Larry Plaetzer, Ralph Scott, and Bob
Jefferson. Absent was John Gaunt.
Don Lobb (right) and his wife Alison accept the Huron Federation of Agriculture Award for
contribution to agriculture from the original donors of the award Gerry and Doug Fortune during the
annual meeting of the Federation in VarnaThursdaynight. Mr. Lobbwashonouredfor his leadership
in farm groups, particularly in conservation practices.
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1989 CORN AND
SOYBEANS
support the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture in asking the provin
cial government to bring in a fair
property tax system or bring back
the old rebate farm tax rebate
program Mr. Riddell didn’t get
much support for his explanation of
why he had introduced the changes
to the plan. When he suggested
land speculators and large indus
tries owning land were benefitting
too much from the plan, Ron
Garland, president of the Bruce
County Federation of Agriculture
n
said a lot of genuine farmers he
knew were losing the tax rebate
because of money they earned
working off the farm. Jeanne
Kirkby of Walton told Mr. Riddell
that if government wants to get
money back from speculators and
large corporations it should do so
through the taxation system, not by
penalizing farmers who have to
work off the farm to make a living.
The resolution passed.
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