Monday, September 2, 2013

Sept. 13 deadline to comment on FBR


The public has until Sept. 13 to file comments to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food about the Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act.

Frankly, I think the whole act is a travesty of justice. Any self-respecting organization ought to be able to generate its own revenues to support its activities and services.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario lobbied for the annual government fee to support themselves because they said it was taking too much time, trouble and money to solicit membership fees. 

Tough!

What other organizations in all of Canada can call on governments to collect their revenues for them? What's so special about the OFA and CFFO? Or farmers, for that matter? Why not a general organization for convenience store operators?

The system is under review following a difficult re-accreditation process under the OMAF Appeal Tribunal that stretched out for more than a year.

The National Farmers Union, Ontario branch, never did achieve re-accreditation and says it will file a court appeal in Ottawa to challenge the legality of the tribunal decision.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario were re-accredited, but only after the agriculture minister intervened to temporarily change the standards for re-accreditation.

The key issue the tribunal identified was no clear indication from farmers that they really want to belong to any of the general farm organizations.

They must pay an annual registration fee of $195 plus HST and indicate which accredited general farm organization they want to benefit from that fee.

Having named an organization, they can apply to it for a refund.

Only registered farms qualify for many government programs and services, including a reduction in municipal property taxes on farmland. That, too, is just plain wrong.