There are some major changes in the local agriculture industry over some apparent discord within the industry and with the provincial department responsible.

Merv Wiseman has resigned from his position as President of the Federation of Agriculture. Wiseman was re-elected to the position in January of 2019 and was in the final ten months of a two-year term.

The federation’s executive and board are now meeting to discuss plans moving forward.

Meanwhile, the Chicken Farmers of Newfoundland and Labrador is one of a number of groups that have terminated their membership with the Federation of Agriculture.

The Chicken Farmers issued a release today saying that their goals no longer align with those of the federation.

The Chicken Farmers say they have had a “respectful working relationship” with Minister Gerry Byrne and with senior staff in the department. They are offering no further comment.

Meanwhile the federation says it is working on “rejuvenating” its relationship with Minister Byrne and the entire department and will continue to collaborate with all levels of government and industry stakeholders.

They also say they are working to establish a “renewed working relationship” with all commodities including the Dairy Farmers, Chicken Farmers and Egg Farmers.

Following Wiseman’s resignation, Minister Gerry Byrne issued a series of tweets mentioning the resignation of NL Chicken Farmers and Egg Producers NL from the federation. Those groups were concerned about what they saw as a lack of leadership at the Federation.