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Policies and Issues
Main Links on this Page:
Discussion Documents
Policy Statements 2008
Policy Statements 2007
Policy Statements 2006
Policy Statements 2005
Policy Statements 2004
Policy Statements 2003
Policy Statements 2002
Policy Statements 2001
March 2008
1. As an organization dedicated to the family farm, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has been examining how to help new entrants into agriculture. Our organization wants to see a program put in place that provides a number of small advantages for beginning farmers but which has the potential to create tremendous opportunities.
2. The CFFO has developed a series of recommendations that we believe will help ensure the long-term stability of the troubled beef, pork and horticulture industries.
February 2008
1. Many farmers today are investing in value-added operations on their farms, a practice that has been advocated by OMAFRA. However, there have been increasing incidents of farmers having these new agriculture-related activities being taxed at commercial or industrial property tax rates. The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario recently passed a position statement on our solution to this on-going problem.
October 2007
1. The CFFO has come to the support of farmers with low pressure oil and gas wells in Southern Ontario . The Ministry of Natural Resources needs to work with farmers to find appropriate solutions to plugging and decommissioning abandoned wells as well as establishing reasonable regulations for existing low-pressure wells.
2. The CFFO is taking a stance to protect prime farmland into the future. The greenbelt and the places to grow plan have increased the pressure to expand in near urban areas. The CFFO believes that it is in the long-term public interest to protect the best farmland in Ontario for farming.
June 2007
1. The CFFO recently passed a new position statement on Predation Management and Crop Loss by Wildlife, calling on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to address the concerns of Ontario 's farmers. Caring for wildlife is admirable as a public good, and its costs should be shared by the public, not borne by agricultural producers. The CFFO recommends balanced steps that require action on the part of the Ontario Government and responsibility on the part of farmers.
January 2007
1. The CFFO believes that there should be regulations surrounding Urban Waste Management that require cities and municipalities to deal with waste generation within their own municipality. In instances where a new landfill is unavailable, these regions need to implement alternative methods of disposal, from improving diversion practices where possible and utilizing modern incineration practices if necessary.
2. The CFFO recently revisited its response to Watershed-based Source Protection Planning. The CFFO feels that it is only necessary to monitor and report water taking if more than 100,000 litres per day are used. Furthermore, water taking for agricultural purposes up to 100,000 litres per day should be exempt from any water taking charges that may be implemented in the future.
June 2006
1. The CFFO believes that the farm community is capable of providing public assurance regarding water quality without the need for complex and costly government regulations.
March 2006
1. The CFFO opposes the further development and introduction of germination-inhibiting Terminator Technology. Delegates believe the primary motivation of seed companies is product control and not the public good. In addition, delegates believe that the possibility of cross-species infiltration is not well understood and that a serious risk to food security exists if the terminator technology gets out of control.
2. The CFFO wants the Ministry of Natural Resources to be responsible for paying farmers compensation for livestock lost to wildlife. In addition, CFFO delegates want to see the MNR put together and finance an inventory of skilled people to control serious predator or crop-damaging wildlife (Predator Management). Finally, beneficial management practices for preventing wildlife damage should be supported by a 90 per cent cost share program with federal/provincial participation.
3. The CFFO wants farmers with operations under 300 Nutrient Units to not carry any costs for obtaining certification for completing a nutrient management strategy. Delegates also want the strategy certification process simplified to one-half day, with approval of strategies given to local peer-review committees. The CFFO believes that owner-operators of smaller farms earn a majority of their income off-farm and should not be subject to the same lengthy certification process.
January 2006
1. The CFFO is in favour of mandatory locally-developed source water protection plans in watersheds across Ontario . However, it does not support the province's proposed Clean Water Act. The CFFO does not agree with the Act's stipulations that affected landowners shouldn't be consulted about prohibitions of their activities, nor that costs can be added to farming operations without public reimbursement.
2. Ontario 's land use planning policy holds to a view that incompatible uses need to be kept apart. MDS Formulae are designed to minimize nuisance complaints about farming odours. The province recently proposed changes to those Formulae. The CFFO supports some of those changes, while rejecting others.
3. Late last year the federal government announced financial assistance for grain and oilseed production but neglected to include payments to those growers who feed their grain to livestock. The CFFO wants to ensure payments apply to all grains and oilseed production, with certain restrictions.
4. Agricultural trade negotiations tend to be long, drawn-out affairs that last months at the earliest, and years at the latest. CFFO members adopted a position statement on World Trade Negotiations that emphasizes fairness in trade, sustainability, a bottom-line on which trade-offs are acceptable and unacceptable, support for maintaining supply management, and the creation of fairer opportunities for grain and red meat producers.
November 2005
1. Wildlife is increasing rapidly across Ontario , along with increased crop losses due to predation. Farmers are increasingly calling on society to provide compensation. The CFFO has an unusual take on compensation for wildlife damage to crops.
September 2005
1. In response to the Canadian Corn Producers' three-part action against subsidized U.S. grain corn coming into Canada , CFFO's Provincial Council adopted a position statement endorsing the request for action.
2. Payments to farmers for environmental goods and services was approved by CFFO's Provincial Council in its adoption of the Alternative Land Use Services position statement.
3. CFFO's Provincial Council endorsed the basic concepts of the grains and oilseed sector's Risk Management Program with the exception of the proposed cap on payouts. The position statement explains how the endorsement is dependent on specific conditions regarding the cap.
June 2005
1. CFFO's Provincial Council adopted a position statement regarding line fences and abandoned rail right-of-ways: advocating the retention of Section 20 of the Line Fences Act as well as the development of a Best Practices Manual for ARROWs that have been turned into trails.
April 2005
1. On April 7, 2005, CFFO's Executive Board met with Minister Steve Peters and presented a letter that includes a list of agricultural items requiring attention from the provincial and/or federal governments.
March 2005
1. CFFO's Provincial Council adopted a position statement calling upon the Ontario government to set up a task force charged with identifying farmer-delivered environmental services and developing a method of paying for them.
January 2005
1. CFFO has endorsed a new position statement in response to the CFIA's proposed amendments regarding the Plant Breeders' Rights Act. The CFFO believes that plant breeding companies should not be allowed to prevent farmers from saving and using their own seeds.
2. CFFO is proposing a stewardship framework of agricultural-environmental regulation with the intent of addressing and minimizing all the various rules and regulations of the Nutrient Management Act, Environmental Farm Plan and the Watershed-based Source Protection Plans together under a single set of rules and regulations.
December 2004
1. CFFO expresses concerns about the Golden Horsehoe Greenbelt and related legislation, and proposes eleven recommendations addressing greenbelts, urban sprawl, farmland policies and pattern of growth.
November 2004
1. CFFO responds to the repercussions of the 2003 BSE crisis as it affects the Canadian and Ontario sheep meat sector by requesting the establishment of significantly more federally inspected lamb kill space in Ontario along with a goal for Ontario lamb meat processed by 2008.
September 2004
1. CFFO adopts a revised policy statement regarding residences surplus to farming operations. Although CFFO supports the severing of such residences, a number of specified criteria must be met before receiving this support.
2. Addressing the ramifications of greenbelt task force discussions, potential provincial planning act revisions and urban sprawl and encroachment onto our best farmland, CFFO adopts a statement advocating a permanent boundary for farmland.
August 2004
1. CFFO presents its position statement regarding Bill 100, Electricity Restructuring Act, 2004 to the Standing Committee on Social Policy (Legislative Assembly of Ontario). CFFO advocates enabling farmers, countryside landowners and rural communities to be part of the economic potential of redesigning electricity generation.
July 2004
1. CFFO responds to the Greenbelt Task Force Discussion Paper and proposes the greenbelt could be a great place to farm and be stewards of the creation. It needs to be permanent and cannot just be created by regulation.
June 2004
1. CFFO endorses the expansion of existing livestock facilities by up to 25% beyond the limits established for them by the Minimum Distance Separation formulae, as long as there is compliance with specified conditions.
2. The CFFO adopted a position statement that all sellers of real estate within two kilometres of farming operations be required to provide buyers with a disclosure statement on real estate transfers about the possible discomfort or inconvenience of normal farming practices in the area.
April 2004
1. CFFO endorses many items found in the provincial government's White Paper on Watershed-based Source Protection Planning but we are skeptical that our time, resources and money will be well spent by a regulatory approach.
2. In an effort to aid the work of other farm groups in helping Ontario farmers move beyond BSE, the CFFO has issued a six-point advisory statement outlining steps that require action.
3. At Ontario Pork's Public Consultation held April 21, 2004, CFFO presented an advisory, "On the Banning of Meat and Bone Meal in Ontario Swine Rations". CFFO members expect processors to prove that there is more money available from consumers if slaughter hogs are MBM-free. Do not let them order compliance based on existing contracts - protect choice.
February 2004
1. The CFFO adopted a position statement, Protecting Farmers' Interests in Contract Arrangements, calling for new legislation that will protect farmers' financial and management interests when they make contractual arrangements with input suppliers, processors, wholesalers and retailers.
2. Marketplace incentives to encourage both conservation and new electrical generation are welcome as the CFFO supports continued regulation of the electricity market in its recently adopted statement Electricity Pricing and Generation.
November 2003
1. Focusing on a renewed commitment to fairness in the marketplace, the CFFO approved the Strengthening Ontario's Marketing Legislation policy statement, which supports all participants in the chain of a food product getting together to negotiate a fair share payment system.
September 2003
1. The CFFO approved a policy on Business Risk Management under the proposed CAISP ("New NISA") stating that farm "safety net" programs should be designed to compensate for long-term price declines in international markets.
2. A single case of Mad Cow Disease (BSE) case in Alberta prompted the CFFO to issue an Advisory Statement calling for a rewrite of rules governing BSE outbreaks.
June 2003
1. OMAF is being asked by CFFO to review and update the Dead Stock Act to reflect current and emerging circumstances.
March 2003
1. Discussion within CFFO results in an Amendment to the Response to Phase Two Regulations, CFFO Statement.
January 2003
1. CFFO Statement as a Response to Phase Two Regulations Made Under the Nutrient Management Act, 2002.
2. The proposed New NISA changes contribution procedures.
3. CFFO Statement on Electricity Prices.
November 2002
1. CFFO urges the agricultural sector to develop a GHG reduction strategy in its statement Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Agriculture.
2. CFFO Statement Large and/or Intensive Livestock Operations.
October 2001
1. CFFO's submission to the Five-year Review of the Provincial Policy Statement (Planning Act), Protecting Agriculture's Future, addresses definitions of agricultural land, MDS formulas, and retirement lots.