Guelph, Ont. – The Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) is encouraged by the commitments made today by the Government of Ontario through the release of the 2023 Ontario Budget to increase veterinarian capacity and incentives for northern, remote and underserviced regions in the province. In particular, BFO was very pleased to see support for the Collaborative DVM in Rural and Northern Community Practice Program that will see 20 additional veterinarians trained annually with targeted recruitment from northern and rural areas, a program BFO has expressed strong support for.
“The commitments included in the 2023 Ontario Budget to improve access to veterinarian education and service capacity come as welcomed news to BFO and Ontario beef farmers, particularly those in underserviced regions of the province,” says Jack Chaffe, BFO President.BFO was also happy to see support for demand-driven risk management programs such as the Ontario Risk Management Program (RMP), a program of critical importance to the Ontario beef sector. Continued support for RMP provides important acknowledgement by the province in the value RMP provides to farm businesses, and the positive returns the program generates on taxpayer and farmer investments.
Increased market volatility and food production risks associated with rising input costs, interest rate hikes, and supply chain disruptions caused by global labour shortages, and the ongoing conflict in Europe has created significant financial pressures and operating uncertainty for many farm businesses in Ontario.
BFO had highlighted the role RMP plays in helping manage these pressures throughout the prebudget consultation process, as well as the need for additional investment to help address funding shortfall risks attributable to the increasingly volatile and costly operating environment. “BFO is happy to see continued support for risk management, and we look forward to continuing to work in a collaborative manner with provincial decision-makers to ensure the risk management needs of our members can be sufficiently addressed,” says Chaffe.
The Beef Farmers of Ontario represents 19,000 beef farmers in Ontario by advocating in the areas of sustainability, animal health and care, environment, food safety, and domestic and export market development. BFO’s vision is help foster a sustainable and profitable beef industry, and have Ontario beef recognized as an outstanding product by our consumers.
Source : Ontario Beef