Minnema Appeal Asks for Order requiring Ontario Pork to Clarify Position

NEWS RELEASE

Guelph, September 4, 2009. The Minnema Appeal of the Pork Marketing Decision has asked for an order that requires Ontario Pork to clarify its position with regard to universal mandatory marketing powers.

The August 17 decision of the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal ordered Ontario Pork to provide to all other parties with its current written position on the issues in the appeals of the decision of the Farm Products Marketing Commission. The Minnema Appeal is asking for a further order because the position that Ontario Pork’s has submitted to the Appeal Tribunal is unclear.

“I can’t find any practical difference between the approach that Ontario Pork now proposes and the approach of the Farm Products Marketing Commission,” Elbert van Donkersgoed, agent for the Minnema Appeal, said in a statement. “The typical pork producer will not experience any difference so Ontario Pork’s latest statement does not clarify its position on these matters.”

Ontario Pork proposes a blanket exemption for all producers from its universal mandatory marketing powers rather than a revocation of its powers.

“The Minnema Appeal asked for clarification of Ontario Pork’s position at the August hearing because we want to know whether or not Ontario Pork seeks to remain a marketing board for all pork producers,“ van Donkersgoed said. “If so, we want to know what benefits for all pork producers Ontario Pork will continue to develop for them.”

The Minnema Appeal suggests that leaving universal mandatory marketing powers in place in order to do a blanket exemption is a non-position.

The Minnema Appeal also asks the Appeal Tribunal to declare Ontario Pork an appellant of the Pork Marketing Decision based on the new position filed.

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For more information contact Elbert van Donkersgoed, agents for the Minnema Appeal, 519-762-2589 or elbert@terracoeur.ca. Copies of submission available of request.