Christian farmers plead for calm, unity: Guelph Mercury
February 17, 2015
Major commodity groups in Ontario have joined forces to make high-profile public pronouncements against the swelling tide of sentiment over their use of pesticides, especially those that affect bees.
But at least one organization is not in lockstep with the rest.
Members of some of the largest farm organizations in the province, such as the Grain Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the Ontario Agri-Business Association, have gone together to buy full-page "open letter to Ontarians" ads in daily newspapers, such as the Guelph Mercury.
They're trying to counter claims from anti-technology groups, some farmers and beekeepers and some scientists that farmers' use of neonicotinoids is wreaking havoc on bees.
In their plea for support, these farmers cite sources of their own; particularly, Statistics Canada data that shows bee colonies are actually growing, not shrinking.
In Ontario, they say, field research does not support claims that neonicotinoid pesticides cause bee colony health issues. Parasites, disease, nutrition, poor weather and poor hive management are really the top issues, they claim, and they want proposed legislation stopped that would limit their use of neonicotinoids.
They believe Ontarians are not hearing their side of the story. So, they've put pen to paper to try to build support for their efforts.
"It's not every day that we, the 28,000 farm families in Ontario, ask for support from our fellow Ontarians," they write. "Then again, having newly proposed agricultural regulations threaten our ability to provide you with made-in-Ontario food, fibre and fuel isn't an everyday occurrence."
The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, the main alternative general farm group in the province (to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture) did not add its name to the open letter to Ontarians.
But their perspective on where this battle is headed became clear when it released a weekly commentary recently from board member Peter Peeters, with the eye-popping headline "Government doesn't need farmers anymore."
That was a shocker. From my perch, the government needs farmers more than ever. So do all Ontarians.
But it turns out that's not really what the Christian farmers meant.
Reading on, what they were trying to say is that for the first time in a long time, rural Ontario does not have an elected member inside the provincial legislature. There's no rural person looking out for farmers' interests, says the federation.
And to them, that changes things.
First, it says, farmers need to approach government with an extended hand, rather than a clenched fist.
Engage in dialogue. Adapt strategies and policies to capture the interest of the decision makers. Take what Peeters calls a "gentler and more co-operative approach" and support issues with "scientific facts and figures," which is what the mainstream farm groups think they're doing, and one reason they are so frustrated in the first place.
Anyway, he says, protests are not likely to work in this political climate. "If we are adversarial to the government we will lose. They are Goliath and we are David without a slingshot … getting angry because you're not getting your way isn't helping the cause."
While not naming the open-letter approach by the others, they certainly throw water on such inflammatory tactics.
Most farmers agree with Peeters on one thing: research-based decisions must be the order of the day.
A key here is to be able to explain them clearly, without hysteria, and that responsibility falls on everyone. Reaching out to the public through the media in a responsible manner is a tactic that can help information get to those who want it and need it.
Owen Roberts teaches agricultural communications at the University of Guelph. His column normally appears Mondays. You can also check out his Urban Cowboy blog on www.guelphmercury.com
