OFA members weigh in on PAC discussion issues

By Crispin Colvin, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Regular grassroots input from Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) members guides the direction of many of our organization’s priorities and policies, and most importantly member feedback strengthens OFA’s advocacy work.

A recent survey asked OFA members for input on some key issues our Policy Advisory Council (PAC) is addressing. We asked members for feedback on fuel taxes, the upcoming provincial election and new restrictions on veterinary medicine use. Consulting with members is another way to help PAC focus on issues that are relevant and timely for Ontario farm businesses.

More than 1,100 members took the online survey. The full results will be discussed at the April PAC meetings, and these are some of the highlights.

• More than 80% of survey respondents use coloured diesel on their farms
• More than 50% believe the price of coloured diesel is reasonable when compared to clear diesel after accounting for additional handling costs
• 24% of survey respondents attend events to speak to local provincial election candidates to advocate for agriculture
• More than 50% of survey respondents have an existing veterinarian-client-patient relationship
• More than 10% of survey respondents live at least 50 km away from their local veterinarian