Ontario has backed off a housing proposal that farmers say would have had a “catastrophic” impact on farmland and livestock operations.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark proposed a series of regulations along with a bill that would allow for more housing to be built beyond urban boundaries and in rural areas.

But farmers expressed concerns about a proposed move to allow up to three new lots on parcels of farmland, saying it would hamper growth of livestock farming, fragment the agricultural land base, and risk inflating farmland prices, shutting out prospective new farmers.

More than a dozen groups including the National Farmers Union of Ontario, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Beef Farmers of Ontario and the Dairy Farmers of Ontario issued a joint letter urging the government to abandon the proposal.

(Canadian Press)