OFA provides comments to the Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the risks faced by farmers in Northwestern Ontario due to drought conditions that have persisted this season. OFA fully supports the Thompson’s request to Minister Bibeau to initiate a formal AgriRecovery assessment and to prescribe the Livestock Tax Deferral to the areas in Ontario significantly impacted by the drought. OFA is calling for a State of Emergency to be declared, and all actions to be expedited to ensure Ontario farmers impacted by the drought are supported to ensure they don’t lose their livelihood, and that Ontario’s food supply is not compromised or disrupted. This is also an opportunity for the government to invest in water infrastructure for rural Canada, ensuring farms have the resources they need both for irrigation and for providing water to livestock.