Chantelle Leslie and Erik Leach have lost their appeal to regain a licence from the Dairy Farmers of Ontario milk marketing board.
Evidence from the hearing conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Agribusiness Appeal Tribunal detailed a long history of compliance issues, including milk quality and milk marketing.
It is not the first time they have filed an appeal with the tribunal.
The tribunal wrote in these excepts from its decision that “both Erik and Chantelle have been suffering from stress and anxiety resulting in major depression at various levels from the time that they took over Erik’s parents’ dairy operation in 2014.
“The causes appear to be family friction in negotiating the purchase of the family farm, financial difficulties and various issues with DFO.
“The use of shared facilities might have saved the Appellants from the final shut-off. Shared facilities may have given the Appellants the breathing space necessary to deal with their SCC and AFP issues and their mental health.
“The Tribunal appreciates that all farming endeavours are stressful, maybe dairy farming more than others. Dairy farmers are required to comply with strict quality standards developed by the provincial government, the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission and the DFO Board to ensure that processors and consumers have a safe supply of milk and milk products.
“For the reasons that the Tribunal has given, it finds that it cannot grant the Appellants’ request to reinstate their licence.”
