The Bruce County Federation of Agriculture is asking local municipalities to withhold levy payments to the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority until communications improve.
The B.C.F.A. claims the S.V.C.A is causing delays on permit decisions that they deem long and unjustified, some of those delays reportedly as long as two years or longer.
"It's too long for the permits that are taking months and years to get through for the projects that are again, related to businesses and agriculture," says Bruce County Federation of Agriculture President, Les Nichols.
Nichols says he'd like to see both the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority and the Agricultural sector back on the same page because in most cases they're dealing with the same land; he says there's a total disconnect between the agriculture sector and the conservation authority.
Nichols says the delays are affecting local farms and small businesses financially.
"Those that are obviously affected and been hung up on a building project or drainage project waiting for permits from the conservation authority definitely has a huge direct impact," adds Nichols.
The Federation argues agriculture is a main economic driver of rural Bruce County.
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Nichols says their concerns over what the Federation considers long and unjustified delays by the S-V-C-A have been going on for some time.
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Nichols says local farmers and small businesses feel the financial impact of those delays.
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