MP Kody Blois meets with Ontario farm leaders, discusses key issues

GUELPH, ON [August 18, 2022] — The Chair of the federal Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food is spending the next two days in Niagara Region. Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants, will be touring farms in the area and meeting with industry leaders to learn more about the issues and priorities of Ontario farmers.

Blois will be hosted by Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) President Peggy Brekveld and Chris Mullet Koop, an egg farmer and grape grower who is also President of the Niagara Federation of Agriculture.

In addition to farm visits, Blois will participate in a roundtable meeting with farmers and representatives from a number of agricultural organizations to discuss challenges currently affecting the industry and how the federal government and the Standing Committee could support potential solutions.

“Ontario farmers are facing many different challenges that affect their businesses and their ability to produce food, flowers, fibre and fuel. Some are ones shared by all Ontarians, like rising prices due to inflation, and others, like fertilizer tariffs, are more unique to our sector,” says Brekveld. “We appreciate MP Blois’ willingness to visit Ontario and learn more about the issues, opportunities and priorities of our agriculture sector first-hand.”

During his time in Niagara, Blois will visit George Family Farm Vineyards for a tour with Bill George Jr., grape grower and past Chair of both the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association and the Grape Growers of Ontario. He will also visit Peninsula Ridge Winery, the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, Westbrook Greenhouses, the grain and dairy farm of Lenny Summers, and Chris Hamilton’s honeybee farm.

Discussions during the visits will highlight key issues impacting Ontario farmers, including fertilizer tariffs, emissions reduction strategies, labour shortages, and seasonal and temporary foreign workers.

“Nothing beats a face-to-face meeting or an in-person tour when it comes to learning about agriculture, and the how and why of food production on our farms,” says Mullet Koop. “We are pleased to host MP Blois and give him an in-depth look at farming in Niagara Region during his visit here.”

About the Ontario Federation of Agriculture:

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is the largest general farm organization in Ontario, representing 38,000 farm families across the province. As a dynamic farmer-led organization based in Guelph, the OFA works to represent and champion the interests of Ontario farmers through government relations, farm policy recommendations, research, lobby efforts, community representation, media relations and more. OFA is the leading advocate for Ontario’s farmers and is Ontario’s voice of the farmer. For more information, visit ofa.on.ca.

For more information, contact:

Tyler Brooks
Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883 ext. 218
tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca