Settlement reached in freedom-of-information request

Ontario’s three general farm organizations the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) and the National Farmers Union – Ontario (NFU-O) are very pleased to share with their membership that a settlement has been reached with respect to the Freedom of Information (FOI) request for a list of names of all Farm Business Registrants.
The request was initiated in June and after a lengthy period of mediation, led by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and supported by their legal counsel, the request for the list of names has been withdrawn.

“Together, our farm organizations strongly opposed the release of this information as it has the potential to greatly impact the health, safety and security of our farm operations,” stated Keith Currie, OFA President. “We are very pleased to report that the matter has been resolved, the FOI has been dropped and we can move forward with the significant priorities of the Ontario agriculture sector.”

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is the largest general farm organization in Ontario, representing 38,000 farm families across the province. As a dynamic farmer-led organization based in Guelph, the OFA works to represent and champion the interests of Ontario farmers through government relations, farm policy recommendations, research, lobby efforts, community representation, media relations and more. OFA is the leading advocate for Ontario’s farmers and is Ontario’s voice of the farmer. For more information, visit ofa.on.ca.

The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) is an Accredited Farm Organization representing the interests of over 4,000 farm families in Ontario who are called to the vocation of farming. CFFO policy promotes economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable farming, advocating that farmers receive fair return for their production and stewardship efforts.

The NFU-O is an accredited farm organization whose members work together to advocate for policies that maintain small and medium sized family farms as the primary food-producers in Canada. The NFU-O believes agriculture should be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable and lead to enriched soils, biodiverse ecosystems, financially viable farms, healthy and safe food, and thriving rural communities. The NFU-O collaborates locally, nationally and internationally to research, educate, and share effective solutions that lead to a better world for farm families and their communities.

For more information, contact:

Keith Currie
President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
705-441-3362

Ed Scharringa
President, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario
519-837-1620

Don Ciparis
President, National Farmers Union – Ontario
1-888-832-9638