Mississauga, March 31, 2020 – Egg Farmers of Ontario (EFO) elected Scott Helps as its Chair and Dan Veldman as its Vice Chair via a special conference call held to hold elections that would normally have been held at its Annual General Meeting (AGM). 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic caused EFO to postpone its 55th AGM that had been scheduled for March 31 and April 1. A new date has not been set for the meeting. Scott Brookshaw and Craig Hunter were also elected to the Executive.  EFO’s Board of Directors consists of 11 farmer-elected representatives.

 

“I feel humbled to have been chosen to serve Ontario’s egg and pullet farm families,” says EFO Chair Scott Helps. “Working with the Board, I look forward to EFO continuing to evolve and improve as an organization.” 

 

Scott Helps, an egg farmer from Wyoming, Ontario has been on EFO’s Board since 2012 and has been Vice Chair since 2015. Dan Veldman, an egg farmer from Embro, Ontario has been on EFO’s Board since 2011.

 

Scott Helps succeeds Scott Graham, of St. Marys, who had announced his decision to step off the Board earlier this year. Newly elected to EFO’s Board in Graham’s vacated Zone 6 seat is Tonya Haverkamp, of Listowel.

 

Also elected via an email voting process, Alvin Brunsveld, was chosen as the pullet director on EFO’s Board of Directors. Alvin is an independent pullet farmer from Glencoe. Brunsveld succeeds Andy DeWeerd, of Stratford, who did not seek re-election after serving as Ontario’s Pullet Director since 2002. 

 

“The Board will miss the valuable experience and leadership that Scott Graham brought as EFO’s Chair for the last eight years and that Andy DeWeerd brought both as EFO’s Pullet Director and as Chair of Pullet Growers of Canada,” Helps said. “We always stand on the shoulders of those that come before us and our farmers are grateful for all their many years of dedication.”

 

EFO’s Board of Directors for 2020-2021 are as follows:

 

Scott Helps, Zone 1	Lorne Benedict, Zone 2
Dan Veldman, Zone 3	Roger Pelissero, Zone 4
Brian Miller, Zone 5	Tonya Haverkamp, Zone 6
Scott Brookshaw, Zone 7	George Pilgrim, Zone 8
Craig Hunter, Zone 9	Marc Bourdon, Zone 10
Alvin Brunsveld, Pullet Director

 

“This will be a challenging year, as Ontario copes with the COVID-19 outbreak but we will remain focused on continuing to deliver on EFO's vision to provide customers with a supply of high quality eggs at a fair price and a fair return to egg and pullet farmers,” says Helps. 

 

Egg Farmers of Ontario is the association that represents more than 500 egg and pullet farm families. EFO works to ensure that consumers have access to safe, reliable and reasonably-priced eggs with fair farm pricing ensuring adequate returns to egg farmers.