Have faith in Ontario farmers.
Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott brought that message to the Ontario legislature last week.
“In farming, as in so many industries, the future is always uncertain,” Arnott observed. “But I have faith in the future – and we should all have faith.” We have good reason, he said, adding that Ontario has the best farmers in the world.
Highlighting policies that have helped farmers achieve that success, Arnott mentioned several important ones.
“Together, we in Wellington-Halton Hills have always supported supply management, better safety net programs, sensible environmental protection, an emphasis on research and bringing new methods and technology to the farm.”
Farmers are most effective, said Arnott, when they speak with one voice. For doing that, he credits the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition (OASC) for its good work. The organization published a paper demonstrating that the farming sector supports over 164,000 jobs and $3.4-billion in revenue to the provincial and federal governments.
“Farming is big business,” noted Mr. Arnott. “But it’s individual farmers and farm families who work hard to make it so.”
He also called on the Dalton McGuinty government to support farmers’ work, to listen to the OASC and its recommendations, and act to strengthen the farm sector for generations to come.
Arnott’s statement in the legislature followed remarks he delivered at the 70th annual banquet of the Wellington Federation of Agriculture. Held Oct. 29th at the Fergus Legion, the event brought together local farmers and agriculture industry leaders.
