Thursday, June 15, 2023

Chicken pricing formula challenged


The Association of Ontario Chicken Processors is challenging portions of the formula the Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board uses to price chickens.


It wants the surveys used to establish production costs to take into account discounts on feeds, to capture more complete data on third-party labour, to include revenues from the Poultry and Egg on Farm Investment Program and to do a better job of using actual costs.


That’s what it took to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal recently, but on objections by the chicken board, the tribunal ruled it does not have jurisdiction. It said the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission is the appropriate body to deal with the processors’ objections.


Neither the media relations officer for the chicken board nor the executive director of the Association of Ontario Chicken Processors would return phone calls requesting information about the nature of the appeal and its outcome.


The link the tribunal provided to observe the ZOOM meeting public hearing did not work.


The first public information came when thew tribunal posted its decision on-line today.