The people attending the upcoming CREEK (County Region Environmental Evaluation Ko-alition)Fundraiser will take their seats on Saturday evening to enjoy food that has been painstakingly produced by a variety of farmers (both large and small). The catering company they are using for this event is well known and respected as a supportive purchaser of fresh produce and meat that is raised in Prince Edward.

Put these combinations together and one can be assured that no one will go home hungry or complaining about the quality of the food. According to their advertisements, this event's proceeds will be used to defray costs associated for testing the local air, soil and water.

CREEK'S website states their targets of concern are Intensive Livestock Operations and more specifically one "farm" which is operating immediately adjacent to Lake Ontario. The family farm referred to is a smaller hog farm (consisting of 2500 feeder pigs).

The testing of soil and water is required by farmers on a regular basis and we do not expect to, nor, are we permitted to do any type of fundraising to implement and maintain standards that are required by law to produce safe food products. The farm they are targeting for this fundraiser is monitored by qualified professional laboratories. The results to date have proven that the levels of e-coli and nutrient are more than acceptable and safe. And, if there were a serious concern, the taxpayers are paying ministry officials who are trained to investigate and pursue questionable and illegal farm practices.

To achieve quality and competitiveness in the local and world markets, Canadian farmers face ongoing challenges on a daily basis. Some of these challenges have forced the closure of smaller family farms and the result, like many industries, has been an increase in size to the majority of the remaining farms. Yes, in many instances there are more livestock units in one farm, yet, there are less farms (62% reduction from 1941-1996) in total with more acreage. Despite the increase of size in existing farms, Canadian farmers continue to take pride in the production of the safest and most abundant food source in the world.

Canadian consumers do not need to question the quality of Canadian produce due to the stringent regulations that Canadian farmers abide.

As Canadian farmers we must engage in proper land stewardship, as it is the land and environment that dictates our success. To ensure that daily operations are the most effective and efficient, farmers must attend expensive pesticide and antibiotic courses. Expensive monitoring equipment is also required to ensure that safety is a top priority.

Having viewed the materials on CREEK's website, it appears to many that CREEK members should further investigate and present actual agricultural facts in their articles rather than misinformation and half-truths. One of the inaccuracies noted on their web site concerns the tax base OHJ farm properties. Farmers do pay full taxes on their farmhouses plus one acre of land and then are taxed on the farm- land as well. In Prince Edward County, the Farmland Property Class accounts for approximately 6.7% of the total assessment and it is estimated that $560,000 in property taxes were levied in the year 2000.

We congratulate the businesses that are so generous with their donations to tl^e community. However, it is unfortunate that their generosity might be misguided and may ruin the County's diverse agricultural industry in the end. The Prince Edward County Official Plan states that "the County supports initiatives in the agricultural sector to prevent further job losses, attract new farmers, and to keep as many farms in business as possible."

This community has thrived and prospered due to its historical, cultural and economic values which have been maintained in a sensible and conscientious for- mat for many years. This in turn has served to increase our tourism prospects, agricultural diversity and employment capabilities to allow us to live the County life we enjoy today. The Provincial Act to Protect Farming and Food Production is recognized in our Official County Plan also. Every farmer in Ontario is obligated and entrusted with the mandate to uphold good farming practices in order to keep this Act in place.

It is unfortunate, that in their concern for the Environment, the CREEK group does not spend their time and energies discussing the future and current status of the County's shoreline development and the associated septic beds with their municipal representatives and planning department.

So the question arises, “Why are the CREEK members seeking donations from the community's members and businesses to attack the local family farms?” As CREEK continues in their mission against the "farm," we hope they recognize that the repercussions of further restrictive legislation is more likely to hurt the smaller family farms rather than the larger farms, and that the families who remain will indeed have to enlarge their operations in order to face the resulting economical challenges.

Our message to the members of CREEK is this: We all want the same things in respect to the quality of life in Prince Edward County. Everyone wants cleans, safe drinking water, healthy soils to produce nutritious foods and clean air. Let's all work together for this common goal. Our children and grandchildren's futures as well as the success of the family farm depend on this level of cooperation.

— Concerned farm families in Prince Edward