The Wellington Federation of…

The Wellington Federation of Agriculture (WFA) is the largest farm organization in the County of Wellington with over 1500 members. Wellington County is a hub of agricultural innovation, research, and leadership in the province. The primary agriculture sector in Wellington County plays a crucial role in the economy by contributing $841 million to Ontario’s GDP and employing over 12,260 people. Wellington County accounts for a notable portion of the provincial agricultural supply chain, too, producing 5.8% of 2021 provincial farm cash receipts. Creating an equitable economic environment for agricultural business owners to grow and thrive within our county is a priority for the Wellington Federation of Agriculture’s (WFA) priority.

The WFA continues to work closely with the County of Wellington to review agricultural lands impacted by Provincial changes and boundary expansion requirements for future growth. As part of this review, the County continues the process of technical assessments to provide rationale for land use changes.
The 7,100 acres of land near Erin, that is proposed to be retained within the Greenbelt, contains many parcels of agricultural businesses that support livestock, crop and equine businesses. Continued inclusion of this land within the Greenbelt causes addition local administrative burden and restrictions for agricultural business owners and creates an uncompetitive business situation that will limit business expansion, multi-generational business models and future succession planning.
We would like to take this opportunity to request the reinstatement of the original Greenbelt Plan areas (15 parcels) that were removed from the Plan in 2022 by the Provincial Government. For transparency and accuracy of the reversal announcement, the parcel near Erin, in Wellington County that was added to the Greenbelt should also to be returned to mainly agriculture and not continue to be included in the Greenbelt.
WFA appreciates the opportunity to provide our feedback and agricultural perspectives on the proposal to return land to the Greenbelt.