The Rural Voice, 2000-11, Page 32named regional director for the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
(OFA) for the Huron east region
representing Howick, Grey, Morris,
McKillop and Turnberry. Evert
Ridder. R.R.2, Clinton represents
Huron west. including Ashfield,
Goderich, Colborne, East and West
Wawanosh and Hullett. Wayne
Hamilton. R.R.I, Varna is the OFA
director for Huron south.°
EFP endangered by
lack of federal money
Lack of federal commitment has
brought the Environmental Farm
Plan to a grinding halt, Jack
Wilkinson, president of the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture told the
annual meeting of the Perth County
Federation of Agriculture, October
19.
Wilkinson said the EFP has been
one of the most successful initiatives
by farm organizations with 20,000
farmers representing 75 per cent of
the farm land in the province, taking
part. Farmers had spent four to five
times the $1,500 capital grant given
under the program in upgrading the
environmental protection on their
farms, he said.
"But it has run out of money,"
Wilkinson said of the program. He
said he had written a letter to the
federal government earlier that day
saying there will be no workshops
offered this fall and winter because
the federal government will not
commit to new financing. "We have
to keep a little bit of money in
reserve because those people who
have made improvements have the
opportunity to apply for their $1,500
capital grant," he said. "But we're
unwilling to start another round of
workshops knowing we do not have
enough money if people came
forward for their capital grants.
"That's an absolute disgrace that
we cannot get support out of the
Federal government," Wilkinson
said. "They have known about our
concerns about money for some time.
We have lobbied them hard over the
last month and a half, and they
weren't able to get their act
together."
28 THE RURAL VOICE
News
Mary McIntosh presents the Perth County Federation of Agriculture's Annual
Recognition Award to Bert Vorstenbosch for his efforts on behalf of
agriculture not only within Perth County, but across the province through his
participation in the Rural Ontario Municipal Association.
And Wilkinson wasn't willing to
let the provincial government off the
hook on the issue either, saying they
had been asked to give financial
support for the program and declined.
The province's Healthy Futures
program, though it has some benefits,
is not designed to generate the type
of farm -by -farm improvements the
EFP did, he said. Healthy Futures is
designed to work on a whole
watershed basis.
"We need both (programs)," he
said
And Wilkinson had capital funding
demands on behalf of farmers for
other upcoming provincial
environmental programs. When the
province brings in new manure -
handling and water -protection
standards this fall some farms will
need to make capital improvements,
Wilkinson said.
"Along with these regulations we
want a provincial capital grants
program," Wilkinson said. In New
York State there's a capital grant of
close to 90 per cent, he said and
Pennsylvania has an 80 per cent
grant.
Wilkinson was applauded when he
said "There is absolutely no reason
that the federal, provincial and
municipal governments, along with
farmers, can't put enough money on
the table so that the new standards to
be put in place this fall will not
cripple the individual farm
operation."
With the current net farm income
situation there is no way farmers can
find the money to make the changes
themselves, he said.
Meanwhile, with the U.S.
presidential elections nearly over, the
pressure will be on for a full and
comprehensive round of trade talks,
Wilkinson said.
"Therefore our organization, along
with the commodity boards, will be
working very hard with the Canadian
Federation of Agriculture to make
sure that we are able to represent our
producers well in these trade talks.
But Wilkinson issued a challenge
to everyone in the room to get
involved in making changes happen.
"No MP or MPP should be able to
walk around in their riding without
feeling the pressure of responding to
the farmers in their community. We
in Ontario have enough seats in the
federal government that it represents
their majority government," he said.
Remind people constantly that
farmers do a good job and people
spend less of their income on food ih
Canada than in any other country, he
said. Between the low cost of food
and the low level of support for