Dear Editor,
I have been pleased to read the positive and supportive comments from Ontario's farm leaders to Ontario's budget. We all understand that the single most important thing our government can do to support farmers is get the province’s fiscal house in order – and I believe we have taken the strong action necessary to do this.
Despite the serious fiscal challenge, we have chosen to continue the Risk Management Program established by the McGuinty government last year. We will work with farmers on a program redesign to ensure that we can live within the same $100 million envelope set aside for the program last year.
I should note there has been some confusion about when the changes will take place. The Risk Management Program will continue without alteration in the current year, 2012-13. Program changes, which are still to be agreed among all the participants, will come into effect in the 2013-14 year.
We worked long and hard with our farm partners over many years to develop the Risk Management Program, and all of us urged the federal government to join with us in supporting it. Minister Ritz has been very clear, however, that the federal government will not under any circumstances consider supporting our Risk Management Program as presently constituted.
We remain optimistic that in reshaping this program it may be possible to leverage federal dollars, as we do with many other programs, and we will continue to work toward that. Ontario farmers rightfully expect their federal government to participate.
In the past several weeks I have had numerous informal conversations with our farm partners about the future shape of the Risk Management Program, and have heard several creative ideas. All of these have merit and are worthy of further discussion. I will be gathering our farm partners together shortly after the federal budget to begin these positive, collaborative discussions.
My goals are to ensure that the Risk Management Program is sustainable and that it provides stability and predictability to government, as it does to farmers. Otherwise, there are no preconceived outcomes. I remain open to the solutions that I expect to find collaboratively in working with our partners.
Sincerely,
Hon. Ted McMeekin
Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Comments
Maybe just maybe we now have a good useful agricultural Ontario Minister or is this letter to the editor written by the Omafra ministers letter writing department .
Just exactly how many hog and livestock farmers who signed up for the 2011 RMP program, signed up for 2012? Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
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