The Alberta Federation of Agriculture (AFA) is seeking clarity after an announcement by the Minister of Finance that proposes the dissolution of the Agriculture Operation Practices Act Practice Review Committee.
“By dissolving the Practice Review Committee, the Minister is eliminating the pool of farmers and ranchers who can be designated to hold an inquiry should there be a nuisance complaint lodged against a farming operation,” noted Lynn Jacobson, President of AFA. “We feel it’s important that the agricultural community is provided further clarity into the reasoning behind moving to ad hoc appointments to fill this need.”
The Practice Review Committee is intended to deal with individual requests, Ministerial or regulatory referrals to determine whether a nuisance disturbance resulting from an agricultural operation occurs under generally accepted agricultural practices.
Currently, the Minister can choose from the membership of the committee in the case that a practice review is deemed necessary. While the committee has not been called to action in a number of years, AFA recognizes the importance of peers judging peers in these disputes.
“It’s encouraging to see that neighbours and friends in our industry have worked hard to keep communications open with each other and solve issues locally,” said Jacobson. “However, we want to be sure that this new ad hoc appointment process does not result in only government staff or non-farmers/ranchers being appointed to judge an agricultural operation.”
Source : Alberta Federation of Agriculture