It may be a coincidence, but shortly after hearing Dr. Patrick Moore describe the expanding efforts of environmental extremists to several hundred Ontario Federation of Agriculture convention delegates, we hear our new provincial government is making a sharp turn off a course that agriculture thought was previously established.
Dr. Moore talked to the OFA convention about the dramatic changes taking place in the environmental movement. He was an original founder of Greenpeace several decades ago, but said such movements have been hijacked by political extremists and are no longer representing the interests of the environment – only their own political imperatives.
He told the conference that these environmentalists use distorted facts, unsupported science and public paranoia to fuel their growth and financial support.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture, for years, has responded to environmentalists in various areas of the province who want to put an end to farming because of what they claim it is doing to the environment. The Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition was formed to document and present the facts about modern agriculture and how it strives to fit environmentally into a modern society.
On a regular basis Ontario farmers find themselves under attack by local environmental groups using scare tactics to arouse the concern of residents. It now appears this approach has influenced the provincial government and how it plans to deal with nutrient management across Ontario.
The Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition partners worked for years and were successful in proving to government that the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food should be the first ministry of contact when environmental infractions were reported. At this point, efforts would be made to correct the environmental situation.
Failing that, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment would be called in to enforce the regulations of the Nutrient Management Act.
Now, we’re told the provincial government has decided to have the Ministry of the Environment as the first contact when environmental situations are reported. OFA and its OFEC partners have been opposed to this approach from the beginning, wanting farmers to have an opportunity to correct environmental problems before having the full force of the law come down on them.
This raises a number of questions: what is the role of the Nutrient Management Plan Advisory Committee? Will the inspection protocol developed by OMAF be followed? And, how will MOE consult with the farm community on regulation development?
We believe farmers and the work they do is understood by the ministry of agriculture and food. That’s why we continue to believe OMAF should remain as the first ministry of contact under the Nutrient Management Act. This ministry’s focus has always been one of educating farmers and guiding them through difficult situations.
On the other hand, the ministry of the environment’s role is usually one of enforcement, and we don’t agree with enforcement getting precedence over education. Farmers need and deserve an opportunity to learn what the Nutrient Management Legislation and its regulations expect of them before they have an official from the ministry of the environment laying charges.
It’s understandable that the new government wants to put its stamp on things, but this change may be a sure route to failure in protecting the environment in Ontario.
~Ron Bonnett~
President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture