Friday, April 1, 2016

Egg inquiry still ongoing



The inquiry the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission launched into governance at the Egg Farmers of Ontario marketing board is still ongoing.

The commission “has not yet reached any final conclusions as the investigation is ongoing and continues to monitor the related court cases in this matter,” wrote news media strategist Bianca Jamieson of the communications branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in response to a question about the status of the investigation.

It launched the investigation in May, 2013, after key players in the lawsuit pressed it to hold an inquiry into the egg industry.

The court cases include a lawsuit by Sweda Farms Ltd. against the egg board and egg graders Burnbrae Farms and L.H. Gray & Son Ltd.

A court has ruled that Burnbrae be dismissed from the action.

At one point, the owner of Sweda Farms offered to drop the lawsuit against the egg board if the board of directors would dismiss general manager Harry Pelissero.

The commission has not revealed who it picked to conduct the inquiry or what has been determined so far.

There is no indication that court hearings for the lawsuit will begin any time soon. That lawsuit began in 2005.