REGINA (Staff) – The New Democratic Party government plans to set up a board to head off legal disputes over how Saskatchewan farmers use their land.
Agriculture minister Darrel Cunningham said at the opening of the new session of the legislature Monday that the Agricultural Operations Act will establish a panel to deal with these complaints.
Other provinces have had problems with disputes between farmers and nearby urban communities over such things as large livestock operations, said Cunningham. Saskatchewan has had fewer problems than most because “farming here is so basic that farmers are given a bit of room to manoeuvre.”
The only way to deal with agricultural disputes now is through the courts, which is “costly, cumbersome and unpredictable.”
If the act passes, complaints will be sent to a panel which will decide whether a farmer’s operations are reasonable.
Disputes often arise when expanding urban areas surround agricultural land and urbanites find the agricultural operations offensive.
Cunningham said setting up a dispute settlement mechanism now should avoid future problems.
