The last time re-accreditation time rolled around, all three
flunked their initial applications.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Christian
Farmers Federation of Ontario have both been able to continue under special
provisions from the minister of agriculture.
They have been warned they better be ready this time.
The National Farmers Union never did win tribunal approval until it went to court to regain accreditation.
The three farm organizations depend on accreditation for
their funding which comes from farmers who must register with the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs every year and pay a set fee to
the farm organization of their choice.
They need accreditation for access to key provincial
programs, including a break on municipal property taxes on their land.
The key sticking point the last time around was the
inability of the farm organizations to demonstrate that the farmers really
wanted to be members of their organization.
Now the organizations are asking members to make their
choice clear before they file their annual farm registration papers with
AgriCorp.
AgriCorp began sending out registration forms in January and
alerted farmers that they will need to fill out the new four-page form and to
include their PIN number for AgriStabiltiy and/or AgrInvest if they have one.
The fee, including HST, is $220.35.
