Friday, October 23, 2015

Chicken farmer appeals fee

Paul Sarantakos of Smithville is appealing to the tribunal for relief from the fee the Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board wants to charge him to receive communications by mail instead of electronically.

Sarantakos won an earlier appeal in April granting him an exemption from the electronic-only communications policy the board implemented this year.

But at that time, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal left the door open for Sarantakos to return over the issue of whatever fee the marketing board would set.

The board refused to lower the fee from $1,768 per year, so Sarantakos is returning to the tribunal over that issue.

His win in April took away the board’s proposal to cancel his quota for failure to comply with the electronics-only communications policy.

The board withdrew that threat the morning the appeal was to be heard. It does allow exemptions in rare cases, such as religious objections to using the internet; in those cases the board has charged a service fee of $1,768 per year for paper-delivered communications.


The tribunal has set Nov. 27 for the appeal hearing at Guelph.