The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) congratulates the Ontario government on its recent introduction of a bill that will provide support and promotion for food grown and processed in Ontario.

The Local Food Act promises to support Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector by, among other things, providing a framework for developing goals and targets around the production, processing, distribution, sales and marketing of Ontario food.

“The Local Food Act has been an interest of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture for some time,” says Mark Wales, OFA President. “If passed, this Act could provide a framework for a more sustainableagriculture sector for Ontario.”

Recently OFA worked closely with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other organizations to create a National Food Strategy, a blueprint for the future of food in Canada. The document is the culmination of months of feedback from Ontario’s entire agriculture and agri-food value chain. It reflects a vision for the future of food in Canada, from the people who grow it, process it, distribute and sell it.

“Canada’s agri-food industry has a clear vision for our sector, and the OFA looks forward to working with the Ontario government to incorporate that vision and leadership into the provincial statute,” Wales says.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is the largest general farm organization in Ontario, representing 37,000 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, 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. More information about the National Food Strategy is available at www.nationalfoodstrategy.ca