PROVIDENCE BAY––Providence Bay chicken farmer Glenn Black, representing the Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada (SFPFC), is going to appeal the Appeals Tribunal of the Ministry of Agriculture ruling made in a case involving him recently.
“Yes, I just forwarded the appeal application this morning,” Mr. Black told The Expositor. “I have been asking for feedback from various individuals and groups on whether I should go ahead and appeal the decision and have received nothing but positive encouragement to continue on.”
Mr. Black pointed out as an example, “Better Farming Magazine published an interview they did with me, and put the story up on their website, and there has been a roaring debate on line for the past 18 days on this issue. In monitoring and responding to the issues and concerns I raised, no one has given me any reason to abandon the fight on this issue so I’m going to appeal the tribunal decision.”
As reported previously, the Appeals Tribunal of the Ministry of Agriculture rejected just about all of the issues raised in an appeal by Mr. Black except one, on critical issues in the chicken supply management system for Ontario, leaving him with a huge decision to make as to whether he should pursue the issue further.
“The biggest question I have is whether the Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) has been given power onto themselves by the government to do as they please to feather their nest. Having that one question answered would see everything else that I have in terms of concerns fall into place,” Mr. Black told The Expositor previously. “There is a significant possibility they would have to answer my questions concerning the 300 birds limit, but there is no guarantee this would take place and be ruled on (with the appeal.”
The Appeals Tribunal rejected all of the issues Mr. Black had raised, except for one: the 300 birds per year grow limit imposed on small flockers by CFO and the SFPFC request to have the limit raised to 2,000 birds per year, in line with most other provinces.
Mr. Black told The Expositor, “I am redrafting the (original) appeal. They had invited me to appeal on the basis of the 300 bird limitations, so this is where I am going to be focussing my appeal.”
“Possibly they would have to answer to the other issues raised previously, and in answering the 300 bird limit question they may answer these other issues directly or indirectly,” continued Mr. Black. “The standard is a limit of 300 birds, the average small flock is 57 birds, which would feed a family of 2.5 people for a year. It is a legal but impossible limit for small producers. It is basically an attempt by the CFO to make it totally impractical for small producers, while they, CFO, get 100 percent of the market share.”
