Welcome to the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission

The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission (Commission) is a regulatory agency without a governing board, established under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Act.

The mandate of the Commission is to:

  1. Administer the legislation and regulations of the Farm Products Marketing Act (FPMA) and the Milk Act (MA) and supervise the activities of Ontario's marketing boards and Section 12 (of the FPMA) representative associations to ensure that:
    • marketing boards operate within the powers and authorities given to them;
    • the lines of accountability are maintained.
  2. Provide leadership in the form of advice, facilitation and direction to Ontario's marketing boards and Section 12 representative associations.
  3. Develop and implement all policy related to regulated marketing in Ontario.
  4. Provide education programs for Ontario's marketing boards, Section 12 representative associations and industry stakeholders in order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the regulated marketing system.

The Commission is directly accountable to the Minister of Agriculture and Food for its performance in fulfilling its mandate and its compliance with government policies and directives. The Minister, in turn, is accountable to Cabinet and the Legislature for the Commission's fulfillment of its mandate and for reporting on the Commission's affairs.

The Commission is the central figure in Ontario's regulated marketing system and holds an important "public trust" in the exercise of its duties. Through its actions, it ensures that individual commodity systems operate in an effective and responsible manner. This is done with due regard to the impact of Commission decisions on the agri-food sector and consumers, while at the same time maintaining the public policy goals of the legislation.

Commission members are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. The Commission supported by staff of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs.



For more information:
E-mail: ontariofarm.productsmarketing.omafra@ontario.ca
Author: OMAFRA Staff
Creation Date: 12 June 2008
Last Reviewed: 04 July 2011