Farmland, water protection and new farmers should be top priorities for new government

Recently, the NFU-O asked you how the new Ontario government could best support farmers and food production. We had a great response, and we will be bringing your comments with us in our upcoming meetings with the Minister of Agriculture and other MPPs.

It’s not much of a surprise that farmers care about protecting farmland with 45 percent of respondents ranking it in their top two priorities. Key to those concerns was limiting the development of farmland and prohibiting its sale to investors and foreign buyers. Respondents also want the new government to promote agricultural land reserves to enhance farmland preservation.

Water protection is another key issue. Along with stronger policies to protect and expand the Bluebelt, farmers and eaters want the government to ban bottling permits for water to help preserve the clean water supply in Ontario.

The topic that generated the most diverse range of comments regarded new farmers. It was clear based on feedback that assistance for new and young farmers to access land is something the current generation of farmers cares deeply about. One member commented, “As a young couple (with student debt), land costs are stupidly inaccessible, land size and lack of severance options/building multiple homes options makes land access even harder.” Coupled with this, many participants wanted to see more work done around succession planning. There was also a strong focus on providing education to students regarding farming.

We want to thank everyone who took the time to respond. Y our comments and feedback are key to the work the NFU-O does and helps focus our priorities as we move into the fall. As we meet with government officials, our message can be summed up by this comment, “Simply make supporting farmers/agriculture a priority.”