Small Farmers Petition for Chicken Quota Exemption

From Lorenz of Greenfields Organic Farm to the Friends of Dufferin Grove Park, March 15, 2005:

Here is a bit of info re the petition we'll be asking people to sign at the market this week [ed. March 17, 2005] to ask the Ontario government to reconsider an exemption for small farmers re. the chicken quota.

Presently CFO [ed. Chicken Farmers of Ontario (formerly the Ontario Broiler Products Marketing Board)] has a rule about min purchase of 14,000 units of quota ($900,000) !!!! The EFA (Ecological Farmers Association) and NFU (National Farmers Association) has recently submitted a request to the CFO for a quota exemptions up to 2000 birds, which has not been granted.

With the Greenbelt having become reality it is more urgent than ever to preserve small family farms close to urban centres and allow them to direct market a diversity of products from their mixed farm operations. This creates access to nutritious, fresh, safe and sustainable food to urban dwellers while giving farmers a fighting chance to stay in business. Eggs and meat from chickens that are kept in small numbers and allowed to free range are a prime example of such a system!

For more information please see the following web sites:

www.freyshatchery.com/fact_sheet-petition.pdf

greenfieldsfarm.ca/news/000086.html

We hope that many of you will sign the petition and as many as possible will write letters to their members of parliament. As several small farm organizations are presently fighting to have the system changed letters to politicians and petitions are very timely especially from the consumers point.

thanks, Lorenz

Greenfields Organic Farm
10715 Guelph Line
Campbellville ON L0P 1B0 CANADA
TEL 905 854 5458 FAX 905 854 4383
greenfields@interhop.net
greenfieldsfarm.ca