Fight for Farmland calls staff report on crop destruction ‘inaccurate’

A group representing Wilmot farmers is calling on regional council to reject a staff report on the decision to destroy a corn crop in the township earlier this year.

The group, Fight for Farmland, said the report is “misleading” and “inaccurate.”

Some of the critiques is that the region did not disclose how much it spent on the harvesting of the crop, it made misleading claims on job creation and economic growth and the crop could have had immediate uses.

“If they waited another seven weeks, it would have been a full harvest for animal feed,” Alfred Lowrick, the spokesperson for Fight for Farmland, said. “If it was another month, it would have been corn meal ready for human consumption.”

The group also said the report contradicts the region’s own strategic plan when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“The land assembly site, located on prime agricultural land, will dramatically increase emissions due to its distant location from major urban centres and 50 km round-trip commutes for many employees with few to no viable transit options as well as the new industrial activities,” said the group in a press release.

In July, a 160 acre crop was harvested in Wilmot Township, which the region said was 10-16 weeks away from maturity.

The report said it was harvested as part of an archeological assessment, and that the region pursued delaying the removal of the crops but were unable to due to “various requirements of the parties associated with the land assembly process.”

It also notes that “various options” for uses of the immature crop were investigated, but none were ‘viable.'”

Regional council is set to receive the report at Wednesday’s meeting starting at 7 p.m.