NFU-O Wins Court Battle, Accreditation Status to be Granted

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

The National Farmers Union – Ontario (NFU-O) took a legal route to gain status as a recognized general farm group in the province. A judge sided with the NFU-O, which was denied accreditation status for part of 2012 and 2013.

In Judge Beaudoin’s decision it states, “The 2,247 members of the NFU-O have accepted the affiliation with the NFU and have chosen the NFU-O to represent them… There is no evidence that the members have been misled or are unaware of the role of the national organization.”

John Sutherland, President of NFU-O says while he is pleased with the court’s decision, the farm group is “frustrated about having to spend precious resources to obtain a fair assessment about meeting the criteria for re-accreditation.” While the cost of the court battle hasn’t been made public, Terry Boehm, National President of the NFU says the court case “has cost the organization a great deal in terms of lost revenue, legal fees and damaged reputation.”

The following is a link to an earlier article that Farms.com published on the NFU-O accreditation dispute:

NFU-O accreditation hopes dashed for a second time