OMAF Tribunal may see reforms in the future

OMAF Tribunal may see reforms in the future

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

After months of confusion surrounding the accreditation process for Ontario’s General Farm Organizations, the ministry says that it will be conducting a review into the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) Tribunal’s operations.

A spokesperson from the agriculture minister’s office confirmed by email late Wednesday that a broad review of (OMAF) Tribunal process is underway. The review will examine whether the tribunal’s procedural rules reflect the mandate of the adjudicating body.  The ministry hopes to have the information necessary to work towards proposing possible reforms by November of this year. The ministry is waiting until the fall since that’s when interim changes expire and come up again for review.

One of the previously recognized general farm groups, the National Farmers Union – Ontario (NFU-O) is still trying to get recognized by the province. This spring, the tribunal released a formal statement outlining its reasons for denying the farm organization accreditation status. The other two main farm groups – Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) are already recognized with the province after a lengthy dispute.