Accreditation eludes NFU-O
Thursday, December 20, 2012
by SUSAN MANN
The National Farmers Union in Ontario will continue speaking out on farm issues even though the Ontario Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal dismissed its application for accreditation, says its coordinator Ann Slater.
“This doesn’t stop our voice,” she says. “We just have to find different ways to make sure it gets heard in government.”
Slater says Ontario Agriculture Minister Ted McMeekin supported NFU-O’s application for accreditation during a tribunal hearing Dec. 14. “We know the government thinks we bring a unique and important voice.”
The tribunal’s Dec. 19 decision orders the National Farmers Union in Ontario’s application for accreditation to be “hereby dismissed.” The reasons for the decision will be released later, the decision, posted on the tribunal’s website, says.
Slater says they’re not surprised because they saw there was the potential for the tribunal panel to reject the NFU-O application for reaccreditation.
The organization’s next step is to determine its options, she says. “We need to see the full decision at some point from the tribunal.”
One option NFU-O is considering is submitting another application for accreditation but they don’t know all of the options yet. As for their work on behalf of farmers, Slater says that continues.
Practical Farmers of Ontario president Sean McGivern, who has been critical of NFU-O, says “it’s unfortunate that it had to come to this.”
McGivern, a former NFU–Ontario coordinator, says he doesn’t think the organization will ever become reaccredited in the province. “Myself and three other directors had to resign because the people weren’t willing to become compliant and follow the rules.”
McGivern says Practical Farmers, formed this year, isn’t seeking accreditation at this time. “We’re not sure that’s the place for us yet. People like the idea that we’re not accredited because we can’t rest on stable funding. We have to work hard or the members simply aren’t going to renew their membership.”
Practical Farmers has about 200 members and the membership fee, currently at $50 annually, is under review and may be increased next year.
As for what happens now with the farm business registration process, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario president Lorne Small says he isn’t speaking for the provincial agriculture ministry but he expects the forms will go out to farmers in January on schedule and the organizations that are accredited “at that time will be on the list.”
Lori Perkes, director of finance, member relations and systems group for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the largest general farm organization in Ontario, says letters for the farm business registration process will be mailed to farmers on the second week of January. Once fees are submitted to Agricorp, the list of names will be sent to OFA, which will mail out the offer of membership “on an almost daily basis. There will be more work but this is a necessary step” because of the rules the tribunal implemented this year regarding membership in general farm organizations, she explains.
Both CFFO and OFA were reaccredited Dec. 7 after hearings before the tribunal. Those hearings were held after McMeekin stepped in and amended the regulations. Before that, all three general farm organizations had their reaccreditation applications denied in November.
As part of the Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act, 1993, farmers with gross incomes of $7,000 or more must register annually and pay a $195 plus HST fee. Agricorp administers the registration process. Farmers direct their fee to one of the now two accredited farm organizations. After registering and paying the fee, farmers can ask for a refund from the group they selected to receive their fee.
Farmers need a farm business registration number to access certain government programs, such as the farm property tax rebate.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs wasn’t able to immediately respond to questions about how the process will work.
Slater says they expect NFU-O members will have to register to get their farm business registration number through one of the two accredited general farm organizations. “We don’t know for sure yet if there might be any other option.”
Once they register, NFU-O members can ask for a refund and send their fee to that organization. Slater says they have about 2,200 members in Ontario and they’re encouraging as “many as possible to continue to join us. We know we have members that believe we’re doing important work.”
The three general farm groups have been dealing with reaccreditation throughout most of the year. On May 23, the tribunal denied all three organizations’ 2011 accreditation applications, mainly due to questions about whether they had explicit membership agreements in place for each member. In July, the groups again appeared before the tribunal to regain their accreditation.
As part of the Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act farm groups must get reaccredited every three years.
McMeekin says in an email statement that he had hoped for a different outcome for the NFU–O decision but “we must respect the tribunal’s independent review process. I understand how disappointed and frustrated the NFU-O and its supporters are over this decision.”
The minister says throughout the process his focus has been to ensure that farmers wouldn’t be negatively affected so they can continue participating in programs and carry on their operations. “That’s why we worked to streamline the regulatory requirements, which enabled the other two general farm organizations, OFA and CFFO, to receive their accreditations.”
Small says he’s disappointed “for my friends in the NFU. I know a lot of their people and they’re really committed to their organization.” But he adds he can’t criticize the tribunal for doing its job. BF
–– with files from Better Farming Staff
UPDATE: DEC. 21, 2012
by SUSAN MANN
The National Farmers Union in Ontario may apply for reaccreditation, provincial agriculture ministry spokesperson Elizabeth McClung says by email. It’s up to them to decide how they want to proceed.
All farm business registration funds NFU-O received on or before May 23, when the organization lost its accreditation, are not affected by the Dec. 19 tribunal decision. Similarly, the decision doesn’t have an impact of the funds NFU-O forwarded to the francophone organization, L’Union des cultivateurs-franco-ontariens, that all the general groups must provide funding for as part of the act.
Assuming NFU-O is not accredited by Dec. 31, 2012, the organization will not be included as an option in the 2013 farm business registration invoice. But supporters may choose to voluntarily send funds to the organization, she says.
McClung says assuming NFU-O is not accredited by Dec. 31, 2012, Agricorp will be instructed to return the fees that they have collected and held since May 23 to the applicable farm businesses. BF