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.
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