46/ DECEMBER 2020 THE RIDER


Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020: Protecting Ontario Farms and the Food System


GUELPH, ON [December 4, 2020] — More than ever, we understand the critical importance of maintaining a steady and reliable food supply and protecting the safety of those who feed us. Today, the Ontario government an- nounced the proclamation of the Se- curity from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020. Beginning De- cember 5, 2020, the Act will protect Ontario’s food supply chain, from farm to table, without infringing on the right to peacefully protest and, in conjunction with the Provincial Ani- mal Welfare Services Act (PAWS), 2019, ensure animals are protected and cared for properly. Ontario’s farm and commodity


groups applaud the efforts of the Hon. Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agricul- ture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ontario government in working dili- gently to support the needs of On- tario’s food producers. The Act demonstrates to trespassers, activists, law enforcement and the Ontario jus- tice system that the protection of farms, families, agri-food employees, animals and the food system is of the highest priority. The Act strikes a bal- ance in enhancing the safety and pro- tection of the farming and food industry while recognizing and re- specting a citizen’s rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.


To be perfectly clear, Ontario’s


farm and commodity organizations are aligned in having zero tolerance for animal abuse. Concerns around an- imal abuse, and the ability and obliga- tion to report such actions are entrenched within the PAWS Act. Farmers are highly regulated, follow- ing strict codes of conduct to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all farm animals. Animal welfare is inte- gral to the care they provide for their animals. The Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act com- plements the PAWS Act, ensuring the highest standards of animal care, pro- tecting people, animals and the province’s food supply while respect- ing lawful and peaceful protest. The agri-food industry in On-


tario contributes more than $47 billion to the province’s annual GDP and em- ploys more than 860,000 Ontarians. Workers across agriculture and the food sector — including farmers and farm workers, transporters, abattoirs, processing plant employees, food service and retail outlets — have ex- perienced threats and harassment from activists seeking to end their industry. These events pose severe risks to human and animal health and welfare and threaten the integrity of the food system by breaching biosecurity pro- tocols. Unwanted visitors and tres-


passers can have devastating impacts on the health and safety of farms, fam- ilies, businesses and livestock. In Canada, 97 per cent of farms are fam- ily farms — not only a place of busi- ness, but also homes where children are raised, and family and friends are welcomed. Ontario farm families depend on


the safety and security of their farms to raise livestock, and grow and pro- duce food to maintain a strong, reli- able food supply. On behalf of all Ontario farmers, processing facilities and agri-food businesses, we’d like to express our sincere appreciation to the provincial government for protecting farms and food safety. The Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act ensures Ontario’s food value chain system is safeguarded, by strengthening protections for farm families, agri-food employees, and an- imals while maintaining the right to lawful protest. For more information or to re-


quest an interview, please contact:


Peggy Brekveld, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture peggy.brekveld@ofa.on.ca; 807-707- 2814


Clarence Nywening, Interim General Manager, Christian Farmers Federa-


tion of Ontario clarence@christianfarm- ers.org; 519-809-1750


Eric Schwindt, Chair, On- tario Pork eric.schwindt@ontario- pork.ca; 519-820-3119


Kathryn Goodish, Senior Director, Communications and Stakeholder Relations, Chicken Farmers of Ontario kathryn.goodish@ontari- ochicken.ca; 289-288-4201


LeaAnne Wurmli, Director of Communications, Beef


Farmers of Ontario leaanne@ontariobeef.com; 519-824-0334


April Jackman, Communi- cations Manager, Meat & Poultry Ontario april@MeatPoultryON.ca; 519-784-4582


USET Foundation Unveils Dynamic New Website


Gladstone, NJ – The United States Eques- trian Team (USET) Foundation, the philan- thropic partner of US Equestrian, has unveiled its newly-designed, dynamic web- site, USET.org. Designed with the eques- trian community in mind, the updated website improves ease-of-use and access to Team and competition news through arti- cles, photos, and videos and emphasizes the latest USET initiatives. Notably, the website now highlights


the real-time progress of “Raising the Bar,” the campaign that helps fund the United States equestrian teams—along with De- veloping and Emerging Athlete path- ways—in all international disciplines and serves as the engine that enables those ath-


vigilant than ever in educating people about what the USET Foundation does and why,” said Bonnie B. Jenkins, Executive Director, USET Foundation. “The dynamic redesigned website offers increased visibil- ity into how the USET works and makes very clear how donor contributions support the High Performance programs and our teams. “As the philanthropic partner to US


Equestrian, the USET is responsible for supporting the competition,


training,


coaching, travel, and educational needs of America’s elite and developing interna- tional High Performance horses and ath- letes,” continued Jenkins. “That means funding directly supports High Perform-


letes to represent the U.S. around the world. The newly-designed USET.org web-


site highlights real-time updates for the “Raising the Bar” campaign as seen here on the homepage. Image courtesy of USET Foundation. In 2021, with the rescheduled


Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, as well as 16 discipline champi- onships through the end of the year, U.S. equestrian teams will be faced with mo- mentous challenges requiring a significant amount of donor support. “Next year will be one of the most


challenging years our teams will face to date, and as a result, we need to be more


ance programs and contributes to a grow- ing source of revenue that will be used throughout the next quadrennial.” In the coming months, the website


will also offer a comprehensive archive of all USET honors—including grant recipi- ents, donor awards for years of giving, and competition-related accolades—as well as a comprehensive archive of all medals won by U.S. teams and individuals. Visit the dynamic, newly-designed


website at USET.org. For more information about the “Raising the Bar” campaign, visit USET.org/the-campaign/, or if you are con- sidering


a contribution,


USET.org/every-dollar-counts/ or call 908- 234-1251.


visit


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