Bylaw could threaten biosecurity in Perth East

Apr 16, 2018

New Property Standards officer can enter premises without communicating with farmers

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Farmers in Perth County are concerned about a new bylaw that could have biosecurity implications.

Earlier this month, the region’s council appointed a Property Standards Officer under bylaw 15-2018. This individual has the authority to enter any premise without a warrant to determine if it meets the requirements of the Building Code Act.

To protect their operations from diseases and to ensure visitors follow proper safety measures, producers in Perth East would like the municipality to add an exemption to the bylaw for agricultural properties, according to last week’s release from the Perth County Federation of Agriculture.

“All visitors need to understand the possible risk they present when entering a farm, what a farmer expects from them and what precautions need to be taken between farms that are visited,” the release said. “Communication with the property owner is (necessary) prior to entry.”

A similar exemption is in place for people’s houses under section 6.05 of bylaw 36-2001, which states that “an officer or any person acting under his/her instructions shall not enter any room or place actually used as a dwelling without the consent of the occupier except under the authority of a Search Warrant issued under section 21 of the Building Code Act.”

After hearing the news, some Perth producers shared their thoughts on social media platforms.

Twitter photo

Members of the community can share their thoughts on the new rule Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Township of Perth East municipal office in Milverton.

Farms.com has reached out to the OFA for further comment.

debibishop / Getty Images/ E+ photo

Video: A Farm Song (Busy) | Parody of A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey

Lyrics:

My days begin with workin’, Alarm’s at 5 o’clock,
I Fill 5 gallon buckets, The feeders and the troughs,
This five to nine ain’t workin’, why the heck do I work so hard?,
I can’t worry ‘bout health problems, I can sleep in when I’m gone,

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

I’ve been working pretty stressed but,
I ain’t changing for some cash,
Lord knows that I’m very blessed (More chores),
But I gotta say it’s hard,
Workin’ outside gettin’ charred,
Living out here on the farm, (more chores)

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history
There’s another 20 chickens that still need feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm getting’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Fun, here on ranch that’s what you can’t ignore,
Might be pretty hard but I love it to its core,
Flannel’s gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores (Tell ‘em sing with me)

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
Watching cattle in the dark, don’t miss me,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
(Yeeeeeehaw)
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
It’s the best bro, go get yourself a farm