Tuesday, September 17, 2013

McGivern defies chicken board


Sean McGivern, founder of Practical Farmers of Ontario, is openly challenging the authority of the Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board.

On Aug. 14, he wrote the board, with a copy to the legal advisors to the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission, that he intends to start growing 2,000 chickens per year on Dec. 1., and without quota.

He says “I do not accept your dominion” over all producers of chicken.

In a letter dated Sept. 14, Sandy Roulston, manager of regulations and standards for the chicken board, answered in detail why McGivern will be risking legal action if he goes ahead with his plans.

Roulston cites authority the chicken board has been granted by the Ontario government to regulate the production of chicken and its authority to inspect premises and issue injunctions to prevent people who do not own quota from growing and marketing chicken.

Roulston also dismissed McGivern’s claim that the chicken board is operating as a private business.

McGivern wrote back in a letter dated Sept. 10 that if the chicken board is a public institution, then its annual meeting ought to be open to the public and that anybody who grows any chickens in Ontario ought to be able to present motions and vote.

McGivern and his Practical Farmers of Ontario organization have joined with the Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada to lobby for a change in chicken board regulations to allow people who grow up to 2,000 chickens per year without owning quota.