Friday, December 22, 2017

Commission adopts new veggie board reg

The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission has adopted the  regulation it proposed in August to reform the Ontario Processing Vegetables Marketing Board.

Earlier this year the directors were dismissed, Elmer Buchanan, vice-chairman of the commission, was put in charge and he negotiated prices for the 2017 crop.

Then the commission appointed directors to a new board and set out a two-year process during which most of the directors, but not the board chairman, will be elected by producers.

The commission will continue to appoint the chairman.

The regulation 440 that was officially adopted this week is, says the commission, intended to:

       Encourage proactive communication and collaboration among value chain partners through an Industry Advisory Committee.

       Support regulated marketing by ensuring that the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers continue to be involved in establishing the way minimum prices are negotiated for crops where there are numerous processors, while providing all processors and their growers the opportunity to develop customized agreements to meet specific needs.

       Encourage productive discussions that lead to agreements that meet the needs of processors and their growers.


Establish protocols to help prevent future negotiation impasses by allowing either the processor or growers to initiate conciliation and requiring that negotiating agency members meet with growers prior to deciding to proceed to arbitration.