| Index:
Why some E. coli bacteria cause disease
while most others don't. July 2, 2002
Hog
farms left to ensure water protection
Government ignores key elements of Walkerton Report, Passes Nutrient Management
Act (a.k.a. farm manure)
Even
Pigs Can't Survive on GM Corn
27-Jun-2002
Recent
CAFOs law explained Daily Reporter Staff June 26 (Confined
Animal Feeding Operations)
Import
Hog Chow RALEIGH NEWS OBSERVER:
The
Last Farm Crisis by William Greider,
from "The Nation" - Full article
Revitalizing
Rural Communities Through A Commitment to Farm and Rural Enterprises
October
29 and 30, 2002, Royal Oak Inn, 3130 Victoria Avenue, Brandon, MB
Share in the workshop experience
and hear international speakers including:
* Dr. John Ikerd, Professor
Emeritus, University of Missouri
Manitoba Agriculture and Food:
Production Statistics 1998-2002 - Hog and Pork
Sector
Hog Industry Chart
Water
petition has 100 names June 26, 2002
The Chatham Daily News Pam Wright
Hog
plant expansion prompts hearing
July
3, 2002 By
Rod Nickel Brandon Sun
New Commercial Swine Manure Processing Plant Now Under
Development Farmscape
- July 4, 2002
New
Environmental Management Standard for Hog Operations Being Developed
OTTAWA,
July 4, 2002
Puratone goes with Maple Leaf
the Manitoba Co-operator July 4, 2002
RM
delays livestock operation approvals July 11, 2002
Brandon Sun
Small
Victories Come with a Price
Bouctouche Watershed NB
Metz
Farms launch high tech battle on smell CBC
July 12 2002
Hog
barn battles will play role in elections this fall
Brandon Sun July 13, 2002
Pork Council hoping cooler heads prevail
Hog operations welcome in some communities
Brandon Sun July 13,
2002
Ratepayers want RM council to address water, environmental
concerns Brandon Sun July 13, 2002
Letters to the Editor/Brandon Sun Boycott
attack on free speech July
13, 2002
Fumes
from large pig farm sends Sask. couple to hospital for treatment
Canadian Press
July 16, 2002
Province forming joint task force on rural air quality
CBC News Online - 02/07/18
Farmscape
for July 25, 2002 Export
Subsidies
Compensation one hog solution
Letter to the Winnipeg Free press July 29, 2002
FARGO,
N.D. --
Lisa Nolan wants to know why some E. coli bacteria cause disease
while most others don't.
Her research has identified a gene that's common among harmful forms of
E. coli, but not among harmless strains. This finding could lead to an
animal vaccine against E. coli that reduces human exposure to antibiotic-resistant
bacteria and helps the agriculture industry reduce losses of poultry and
livestock raised for food production.
Nolan, an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary and Microbiological
Sciences at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, is a doctor
of veterinary medicine with a Ph.D. in medical microbiology. Her research,
funded by a three-year, $142,000 grant from the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), studies E. coli in poultry to learn more about how it impacts
human health.
"We look at bacterial diseases in animals and try to understand how
these bacteria cause disease in an effort to develop control points,"
Nolan says. "With the E. coli that cause disease in birds, we've
identified a single
factor that we think separates the good guys from the bad. We think we
can use that as the basis of a vaccine."
Nolan's research team found that the E. coli which cause disease in birds
overwhelmingly possess a gene called the "increased serum survival
gene" or ISS. This gene enables disease-causing strains of E. coli
to overcome body defenses, allowing them to multiply and spread in the
host.
"We're looking at why this gene is associated with 80 percent of
disease-causing E. coli," she says.
Present in animal feces, certain strains of E. coli bacteria cause food
poisoning in humans that can sometimes be fatal. Although undercooked
hamburger is a common source of E. coli, also it can be spread through
improperly treated drinking water or non- Pasteurized fruit juice. Typical
symptoms of E. coli poisoning are diarrhea, cramps, fever, chills and
vomiting. The elderly and very young are most susceptible to severe forms
of this disease, which can result in kidney failure.
E. coli bacteria also pose a major problem for production animals in the
agriculture industry. In birds, it frequently attacks the respiratory
system. An E. coli outbreak in a large-scale chicken operation can cost
millions of dollars. Also, calf scours caused by E. coli negatively impacts
the cattle industry, each year killing thousands of newborn calves. "Many
times, infectious diseases in animals impinge on human health or the human
pocketbook," Nolan says. "There are many diseases that can be
passed from animals to human beings. A number of these diseases affect
the safety of our food supply, so animal and human health is closely linked."
Working with Nolan are post-doctoral fellow Shelley Horne, research specialist
Cathy Giddings, students Samantha Pfaff-McDonough, Steve Foley, Aaron
Lynne, Jerod Skyberg, Tim Johnson and Jessica Ebert. They've found that
the ISS gene is located on plasmid DNA that can move between different
bacteria, including other E. coli. A plasmid is a piece of DNA smaller
than the chromosome that can contain important genes.
"In addition to containing the gene that we think is so important,
this plasmid also contains several other known disease-causing genes,"
Nolan says. "And it contains the genes encoding resistance to some
common antibiotics like tetracycline and ampicillin. "Right now,
our working hypothesis is that the use of these antibiotics in an animal
production environment, such as a chicken house, might select for the
bad bacteria. In other words, the antibiotic may select for the E. coli
containing this plasmid," she says. The agriculture industry has
been criticized for using low doses of antibiotics to promote growth in
production animals and for overusing antibiotics to treat disease.
"There's been a lot of criticism of these practices, but nobody has
said why it may be beneficial not to use them," Nolan says. "What
I think we're going to be able to do is say, 'Look, you're doing more
harm to your operation than good.' Maybe this is a way to curb the inappropriate
use of antibiotics."
Nolan explains that by using antibiotics to promote growth, livestock
producers might be selecting for the bacteria containing genes that cause
disease.
"Down the road, it's possible that these resistant bacteria can enter
the food chain and reach human beings," she says. "This is the
place where our work impinges on human health. Any intervention that we
can do to control these infectious diseases of animals without antibiotics
is a real plus. If we can control with vaccines or better management practices,
we're all much better off."
For more information, contact:
Lisa Nolan, associate professor, NDSU Department of Veterinary and Microbiological
Sciences, at (701) 231-8530 or Lisa.Nolan@ndsu.nodak.edu
David Wahlberg, NDSU director of university news, at (701) 231-8325 or
David.Wahlberg@ndsu.nodak.edu
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Hog
farms left to ensure water protection
Government
ignores key elements of Walkerton Report,
Passes Nutrient Management Act (a.k.a. farm manure)
(Toronto
- June 28, 2002)
The Ontario government passed the Nutrient Management Act Wednesday without
ensuring that key recommendations of the Walkerton report were included
in the Bill. Justice OConnor of the Walkerton Inquiry recommended that
the Ministry of Environment be the lead agency to design and approve nutrient
management plans for intensive livestock operations in order to protect
water sources. The new Bill ignores this advice and delegates to the private
sector the review and approval of manure and commercial fertilizer spreading
plans. These self certified plans would supercede local by-laws that
impose higher standards to protect watersheds and land.
While all would welcome legislation to control manure, Justice OConnor
was clear that watershed protection plans should be in place first before
granting private water users such as large hog farms a blank check to
design and approve their own nutrient management plans, says Christine
Elwell, Senior Legal Analyst, for the Canadian Institute for Environmental
Law and Policy.
The intent of this Act is to delegate important governance functions
directly to factory farms, bypassing the Ministry of Environment and higher
local standards contained in municipal by laws that reflect local concerns
and objectives, continued Elwell.
The tragedy in Walkerton Ontario began with the spreading of manure near
a water well that was contaminated with the bacteria E.coli which can
thrive in the gut and intestines of cattle and hogs, and survive in the
environment for extended periods of time. This bacteria may be transmitted
to humans through drinking water. Seven people died, and more than 2,300
became ill at Walkerton in 2000. Some people, particularly children, may
endure lasting effects.
Canadian Institute for Environmental Law & Policy
For more information contact: Christine Elwell, Senior Legal and Policy
Analyst, CIELAP, 416-923-3529, ext. 25 and 416-533-5177 (home).
For a full review of the Act, please visit www.cielap.org/whatsnew/
in CIELAP's 6th Annual Report on Ontarios Environment.
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Even
Pigs Can't Survive on GM Corn
27-Jun-2002
Pig farmers are having major breeding problems from feeding their animals
genetically-engineered corn. Despite 30 years of experience farming in
Shelby County, Iowa, Jerry Rosman couldn't figure out why the birthrates
of piglets fell 80 percent. He tested for diseases and made sure artificial
insemination was working right, but he couldn't find the cause. Then he
found out that 4 other nearby farmers were having the same problem. These
farmers had different kinds of pigs and used different breeding methods.
But they all had one thing in common: They all fed their pigs the same
GM corn. Laboratory tests revealed the corn contained high levels of Fusarium
mold. One farmer switched one of his groups of swine back to regular,
non-GM corn, and those pigs no longer had a breeding problem. And the
problem wasn't confined to that area. As soon as the news about his genetically-engineered
corn problems got out, Rosman was swamped with phone calls from other
desperate farmers.
He says, "It hadn't even hit the mailboxes and the phone started
ringing." Norm Smith, who has a farm in Winterset, Iowa, says he
experienced the same problem within a few weeks of feeding his pigs the
new corn hybrids that he planted for the first time last spring. "I
started feeding Bt corn in late September, and within 30 days I wasn't
getting anything bred," Smith says.
Farmers are concerned that GM crops are being rushed to the market without
proper testing. The EPA, which regulates Bt corn, requires no tests to
determine how the crop affects the reproductive systems of the animals
that eat it. It's not that genetically-engineered food is necessarily
bad. It's just that we may not find out the problems associated with it
until it's taken over and contaminated or replaced "natural"
crops. And by that time, it may be too late.
Find out what we can do to protect ourselves from the problems of GM
food by reading "Eating in the Dark: America's Experiment with Genetically-Engineered
Food" by Kathleen Hart
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Recent
CAFOs law explained
By:Kate Brincks,
Daily Reporter Staff
June 26, 2002
In April, Governor Vilsack signed into law a bill concerning confined
animal feeding operations (CAFOs) aimed at helping protect Iowa's aquatic
and soil environment. According to Iowa Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) Environmental Specialist Jeff Prier, those expanding or building
new confinement operations will have until Feb. 28, 2003, to utilize the
old separation distance laws.
Clay County Sanitarian Tammy McKeever said the counties won't really be
affected until March 1, 2003, when counties can start using the master
matrix plan. In order to use it, they will have to adopt a construction
adoption evaluation, annually, which looks at the community and environmental
impacts of these operations. McKeever said if the county does not adopt
the master matrix, then the DNR will use its regulations. The master matrix
is a point system, which McKeever said is used by the counties, not the
DNR. People looking to build a new operation must get a minimum of 100
points before a permit will be issued.
Prier said most of points given are based on extra separation distance
on top of the required separation distances of the state. Points can be
awarded for how far the operation is from a home or church, land application
of manure, and the operation characteristics of the farm. "It shouldn't
be too hard for most of them to get 100 points," said Prier. "In
this part of the state, by definition, we don't have a whole lot of critical
public areas or high quality water resources." The county board of
supervisors can use this matrix, but its results are advisory to the DNR.
The DNR has the final say in issuing the permits. "They really have
no say in a yes or no to the permits," said McKeever of the board
of supervisors.
However, even though new operations can still be constructed under the
old separation distance requirements, they will have to follow the new
concrete standards as well as paying the new fees for filing the construction
permit and the manure management plan. These are a part of the what McKeever
said are the six new things that came out of the law passed in April.
The first is the development and adoption of a phosphorus index by the
DNR. In the past, manure regulations were based on nitrogen. The reason
the DNR went to the phosphorus index is because it has a more adverse
effect on lakes and streams, said McKeever.
The second gives monitoring authority for air quality for CAFOs to the
DNR. This includes hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and odor. The DNR can then
enforce those standards, but will not begin to do so until Dec. 1, 2004.
The third provides additional setback distances for new or expanded confinements.
These setback distances are from facilities like water bodies, such as
wetlands, drainage wells and drinking water wells. The fourth item lowers
the threshold for operators having to obtain construction permits from
approximately 4,100 hogs to about 2,600 hogs per operation.
There is a specific formula the DNR uses to calculate the animal units.
The fifth element deals with fees on CAFOs based upon the number of animal
units, as well as fees for filing construction permits. This money will
be used to hire 12 new inspectors. The sixth establishes the scoring system
which will be used by the DNR to approve or deny a construction permit.
"The DNR is writing the rules," said McKeever. From July 10
to March 1, 2003, the DNR is going to be using an interim matrix.
Earlier this spring the county looked at passing an ordinance or moratorium,
but as reported by the Daily Reporter in April, Assistant Clay County
Attorney Michael Houchins told the Clay County Board of Supervisors that
implementing a moratorium could be a legal risk. McKeever added other
counties have looked at ordinances or moratoriums, and some have passed
them. "The other counties that are passing these ordinances and moratoriums
are stating that, also, according to state law, the board of health has
the right to protect the public's health," she said.
©The Daily Reporter 2002
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IMPORT
HOG CHOW
RICK DOVE, RALEIGH NEWS OBSERVER:
According to a recent news report, representatives of the hog industry
are turning to cheaper imports to obtain their livestock feed. They intend
to buy 180,000 tons of soymeal from Brazil for distribution among six
partners, which include North Carolina's Murphy-Brown, a unit of Smithfield
Foods, Inc., the largest pork producer in the United States. Ultimately,
they want to import 50% of their feed stock in order to increase their
profits. North Carolina ports may be used for this purpose.
For years the pork industry has "piggybacked" on the shoulders
of the American farmer. At rallies, demonstrations, public hearings and
the like, Murphy-Brown, Smithfield and other industrial animal meat producers
called themselves "farmers." They depended on this American
farmer image and on farmer support to beat back criticism related to their
bad industrial practices, including the poisoning of rivers.
I wonder how farmers who have been producing feed stock for corporate
hogs are going to feel as they watch these ships arrive from Brazil loaded
with feed that used to be produced in America. The hog industry has had
more than 15 years to promote feed production in North Carolina to sustain
its North Carolina hogs but has failed to do so. Why? Farmers should be
outraged over this anti-American farming practice. Maybe
it's time consumers gave real American farmers some help at the market
place.
Rick Dove, New Bern was a Neuse Riverkeeper from 1993 to 2000 and is
now on the staff of the Waterkeeper Alliance.
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Revitalizing
Rural Communities Through A Commitment to Farm and Rural
Enterprises
October 29 and 30, 2002
Royal Oak Inn
3130 Victoria Avenue, Brandon, MB
Share in the workshop experience, gather ideas for change and hear provocative
international speakers including:
* Dr. John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri
* Dr. Fred Kirschenmann, Director of the Leopold Centre for
Alternative Agriculture in Iowa
* Dr. Mark Ritchie president of the Institute for Agriculture and
Trade Policy in Minneapolis
Conference Fee: $85.00
Includes: Speaker sessions, two lunches, breakfast, banquet, coffee breaks
Chek out our website: www.ruralrenewal.com
Third in a series of annual conferences exploring visions for agriculture
that include farmers and rural communities on the Prairies.
Registration Deadline:
Monday, Octorber 14, 2002
To register by phone, using your credit card, call 1-800-432-1960 ext.
8221
Or by mail:
Agriculture Renewal Alliance, University of Manitoba, Room 222, Agriculture
Building, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2
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WATER
PETITION HAS 700 NAMES
June 26, 2002
The Chatham Daily News
Pam Wright
Chatham surgeon Dr. Hub White and Council of Canadians representative
Carmen McCauley have, according to this story, handed a petition containing
some 700 signatures to Dr. Doug Pudden, Chatham-Kent's medical officer
of health.
The story says that the petition calls for Chatham-Kent council to "take
immediate action to prevent the expansion of established intensive livestock
facilities, cap the size of new ones and take action to provide intensive
monitoring of those facilities."
White said the municipality's top public health official was approached
because the issue is "primarily a health problem. "It goes beyond
boundaries and street lights and expansions of roads," he said. "Air
and water are the two basic things we need."
White said that while there are plenty of people who oppose intensive
livestock farming, many are afraid to sign a petition, as it could negatively
impact relationships between businesses and neighbours.
McCauley said she's concerned council views factory farming as a rural,
rather than urban, issue. "It's quite the opposite. Water quality
concerns us all."
She's also worried about council's lack of expertise.
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Hog
plant expansion prompts hearing
July 3, 2002
By
Rod Nickel
Brandon
Sun
Environmental watchdogs around Brandon have a forum to raise concerns
about Maple Leaf's second production shift - a privilege denied them before
the hog plant opened.
"It's very significant," Bill Paton says.
The decision honours an NDP election pledge that activists wondered if
government would keep, says Brandon University botanist Paton, who has
frequently raised concerns about the hog plant's impact on the Assiniboine
River.
Manitoba Conservation has informed the city and packer that it requires
a Clean Environment Commission hearing into a planned expansion of the
waste-water treatment plant dedicated to Maple Leaf.
"It gives the public opportunity to assess for themselves my evidence
with (city engineer) Ted Snure's evidence."
The hearing gives activists a chance to question Maple Leaf and the city
about its assumptions, Paton says.
It won't hinder Maple Leaf's expansion plan, says vice-president of manufacturing
Gord Maxwell.
"Maple Leaf meets all targets of Manitoba Conservation. We'll continue
to do the right thing.
He sees the hearing "as a necessary evil that gives us a chance
to explain our past track record, which is exemplary."
The company plans to begin staffing another slaughter shift as early
as fall, 2003, he says.
Maple Leaf has said the second shift could add 900 jobs.
Conservation also requires an environmental assessment report from the
city.
Maple Leaf's environmental licence already allows two shifts. However,
the treatment plant dedicated to the company needs an upgrade that requires
further environmental approval.
Paton says he'll use the hearing to renew his demand for controls of
phosphate discharges into the river. Excessive phosphate promotes algae
growth, which robs the water of oxygen, harming fish and causing the river
to stink, he says. Blue-green algae contributes to liver cancer, he says.
Peter Smith, Maple Leaf's vice-president of engineering, says it's too
early to say if added safeguards are necessary.
Conservation's director of approvals Larry Strachan says he didn't call
a hearing for Maple Leaf's start-up in 1999 because he feared delaying
the project.
He says there won't be a delay this time because the company knows from
the outset that a hearing is necessary.
Former Tory environment minister Jim McCrae, who was also a Brandon MLA,
had angered activists by refusing calls for a hearing prior to the plant
opening.
Environmental approvals could proceed more quickly than they did for
the first shift, Snure says.
Leading up to the plant opening, the city and company held seven or eight
informal public meetings.
Mayor Reg Atkinson doesn't expect the hearing to hold up the company.
"I think the track record will prove pretty good. The plant there
is better than the plant for the city (waste-water)."
An earlier study of Maple Leaf's impact on the Assiniboine showed the
packer has had a negligible effect.
A hearing into Simplot's plan for a potato-processing plant in Portage
lasted six days. The province pays the cost of hearings, which are at
least $6,000 per day, Strachan says.
Away from the public hearings, it's likely the city and company will
negotiate who pays to upgrade the industrial treatment plant - a cost
Paton estimates as at least $12 million.
The city and province paid that much to build the treatment plant.
The city wants the packer to pay this time, but the company takes another
stance.
"It's my view that it will be negotiated with responsibility on
both sides," Maxwell says.
Maple Leaf also pays the treatment plant's operating costs plus a 20
per cent premium for the city's overhead costs.
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New
Commercial Swine Manure Processing Plant Now Under Development
Ben Voss-Clear-Green Biotechnologies
Farmscape
for July 4, 2002 (Episode 1014)
A Saskatoon based company has unveiled plans for the development of its
first commercial scale organic waste processing plant for adding value
to swine manure.
The processing plant, being developed by Clear-Green Biotechnologies,
will use technology which separates manure into three streams, methane
gas, fertilizer and water, to add value to it.
Company President Ben Voss says this first commercial scale plant will
be built adjacent to a large swine operation and will be able to process
90 tonnes of manure per day.
Clip-Ben Voss-Clear-Green Biotechnologies
The best way to look at is, we employ bioreactors or biodigestion technology
to extract the energy from waste or manure.
The other part of the technology is the nutrient concentration component
which enables us to produce the commercial grade fertilizer.
There's two steps really, the energy production and then the post treatment
or fertilizer production side.
As most people know, manure contains a lot of water as well as some organic
material.
That organic material is broken down by bacteria to produce methane gas
which is just natural gas.
The other products that are within that manure stream are the nutrients,
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are broken down and separated
in a water solution which we further concentrate.
Water becomes a byproduct of that concentration process.
The new facility, which will be built in two phases with construction
slated to start this fall, is scheduled to be operational in 2003.
Voss points out the technology can also be adapted to process other types
of organic waste such as waste from food processing plants.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
-Additional information is available at www.clear-green.com
*Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba
Pork Council
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New
Environmental Management Standard for Hog Operations Being Developed
OTTAWA, July 4, 2002 -
A cleaner, safer environment in and around Canadian hog operations is
the goal of a new voluntary national standard
being developed with the help of the federal government.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lyle Vanclief today announced the
Canadian Pork Council's (CPC) National Environmental Management System
Initiative will receive an additional $300,000 to complete the strategy
and conduct pilot projects to test its effectiveness. The CPC also received
$300,000 for the first phase of its work on which it is partnering with
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The Council has contracted the
Canadian Standards Association to help guide the industry through the
process of developing the standard. The funding was provided by AAFC's
Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (CARD) fund.
"I congratulate the Canadian Pork Council for its initiative in
developing a national environmental standard for hog operations,"
Mr. Vanclief said. "This initiative is the first by a national commodity
organization to work towards such a goal, a goal that will help make Canada
first in the world for environmentally responsible production, innovation
and food safety."
CPC President Edouard Asnong praised the announcement of additional funding
to develop the standard. "Our goal is to provide hog farmers with
a financially viable, practical, and verifiable standard which will complement
existing environmental policies, laws and regulations," he said.
"We want to reassure the public about Canadian hog producers' commitment
to and respect for the environment."
The CPC initiated development of the standard for hog operations two
years ago. Since that time, the Canadian Standards Association has brought
together pork producers, federal and provincial departments, universities,
environmental protection and consumer groups from across Canada to support
a consensus-based standard for the sector. The next steps include finalizing
the draft, holding a public review, conducting pilot projects and producing
the final standard, which is scheduled for completion by mid-2003.
Since 1995, the CARD fund has invested nearly $450 million in national
and regional programs to stimulate progressive change in the industry
and rural communities across Canada.
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Puratone
goes with Maple Leaf
the Manitoba Co-operator
July 4, 2002
by Jim Romahn
Stratford - Puratone, the largest hog farming business in Manitoba, has
lost its contract with Morrell Packers in the U.S. and has signed with
Maple Leaf Pork.
The change gives a huge boost to Maple Leaf's new plant at Brandon, Manitoba,
and the company plans to eventually add a second shift.
Maple Leaf bought Landmark Feeds last year and that gave it ownership
of Elite Swine Limited, the second-largest hog producer in Manitoba.
Doug Maus of London, Ontario, who trades more weaner pigs via the Internet
than any other hog industry broker in North America, told the Ontario
Pork Industry Council about the Puratone deal during OPIC's third annual
meeting here recently.
Maus said Morrel has lined up supplies from Murphy Farms, so it no longer
needed the market hogs from Puratone.
He said it had nothing to do with the clause in the new U.S. farm bill
that calls for country-of-origin labeling for all pork and beef.
Marcel Hacault, chairman of the Manitoba Pork Council, said it's putting
a lot of effort into countering that country-of-origin requirement.
For two years it will be voluntary; after that the plan is to make it
mandatory, and Hacault said that threatens to depress prices for Canadian
hogs.
"A lot depends on the definitions," Hacault said, and that's
one area where Manitoba Pork is working hard. If the definition of "foreign"
pork extends to where the pig was born, it will hit a lot harder than
if the definition is any hog that has been in the U.S. for less than 14
days before slaughter, or even if it arrives in the U.S. within 14 days
of birth, he said.
About two million Manitoba weaner pigs, many of them less than 14 days
old, are sold to U.S. buyers. Another 600,000 market hogs went from Manitoba
to U.S. packers last year and Hacault said that preserves competition
and higher prices from Maple Leaf Pork and Springhill, a much smaller
hog slaughtering plant that is the only other one in Manitoba.
Hacault said the impact of compulsory country-of-origin labeling in the
U.S. would be greater on Canadian farmers than the impact of higher U.S.
subsidies for grains and oilseeds, yet political reaction in Canada has
been almost entirely on the subsidies.
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RM
delays livestock operation approvals
July 11, 2002
By Kyla Duncan
Brandon Sun
The Rural Municipality of Daly will make no moves towards approving any
intensive livestock operations in the area until a lawsuit filed by its
citizens is out of court.
"Everything is on hold until we hear from the court whether they
are going to proceed with the application from the Concerned Daly Ratepayers,"
says John MacLellan, Chief Administrating Officer for the RM of Daly.
The Daly council will face the concerned citizens in an application filed
by the residents.
The case has already been to court June 17 and June 24, but was put off
both times because of the lack of affidavits from the ratepayers group,
says.
Concerned Daly Ratepayers, is also required to make their name legal before
the case can be heard in the courts.
At issue is a new set of bylaws drawn up by Daly ratepayers to put stronger
stipulations on intensive livestock operations.
The bylaws would make them receive environmental approval before applications
went to a conditional hearing.
"We want to have some good, basic bylaws, so that it is fair for
us but it is also fair for the ILOs. They will see right up front what
it takes to get into the Municipality of Daly," says Reed Wolfe,
who speaks for the group.
"We're hoping the judge will say the municipality hasn't acted in
good faith," says Wolfe.
"We're hoping the judge will rule in our favour."
The group is concerned about water and soil contamination if the rural
municipality approves a new Keystone Pig Advancement 800-sow farrow-to-finish
operation in the area.
The group claims 92 per cent of Daly ratepayers support a tougher set
of bylaws for intensive livestock operations.
In a council meeting Tuesday, Daly councillors made a notice of motion
to rescind their previous decision.
MacLellan says the issue of the KPA hog barns will be placed on council's
agenda for next council meeting in August.
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Small
Victories Come with a Price
“When will legislation be introduced to stop the oppression perpetrated
by industrial agriculture?”
The
Association for the Preservation of the Bouctouche Watershed is claiming
a small victory in its efforts to protect the Bouctouche Watershed.
A local giant pig operation seems to have decided to stop its practice
of dumping over 5.5 million gallons of hog feces and urine annually on
fields in and near Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick.
Over 3 years ago, when the citizens of the area realized that construction
had begun on what would be the biggest hog barn east of Manitoba, concerns
were addressed to the provincial departments of Agriculture and Environment
that liquid manure has a history of runoff and pollution. Both the bureaucrats
and proponents of the industrial partnership to construct the giant pig
and cow operations had defended the project as "a model farm".
Citizens were told that modern agriculture had come a long way and "to
trust us" because in one year, people would realize that their opposition
was unfounded.
History revealed itself differently.
The roof of the "modern" barn collapsed. Special permissions
for off-season liquid manure sprayings were given. Over $70,000 was spent
on an expert committee study by the Province. Water monitoring cost taxpayers
about $100,000 a year. Now 1.5 million dollars of taxpayer’s money
is being used to cover-up the profound consequences of letting "modern"
or industrial agriculture take over NB. This is an industry and it should
pay the real cost of their operation.
"We are relieved that 5.5 million gallons of hog feces and urine
will not be sprayed in our village and will be kept away from our rivers",
says Jerry Cook, spokesperson for the Association.
"It is a small victory, but at a great expense to taxpayers. But
the problem is far from over. The latest government spending will not
even begin to provide a permanent solution.”
“Every community in NB is exposed to the oppression lived by the
citizens of Sainte-Marie-de-Kent” added Cook. “When will legislation
be introduced to stop the oppression perpetrated by industrial agriculture?”
Contact: Jerry Cook 506-523-2701
Association for the Preservation of the Bouctouche Watershed
L'association pour la préservation du basin versant de Bouctouche
Web: <http://www.mondata.com/action>
E-mail: <mailto:pigs.poop.politics@mondata.com>
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Hog
barn battles will play role in elections this fall
By Kyla Duncan
Brandon Sun
Saturday July 13, 2002
Rural Manitoba ratepayers say they’re going to remember the controversy
over intensive livestock operation come election time this fall.
Harvey Whelpton, who lives in the Rural Municipality of Daly, says the
recent clash between ratepayers and municipal council over imposing more
stringent bylaws for intensive livestock operations will produce a number
of candidates who support the bylaws and are against livestock operations."I
hope we can get some good, broad-minded people in there," Whelpton
says. "It's going to be hard to find a candidate that does support
hog barns."
Whelpton was a Daly rural councillor for 15 years before he quit a year
ago because he would not go along with introducing intensive livestock
operation into the municipality.
Whelpton says he's appalled at how council and ratepayers have butted
heads again and again, the fight finally spilling into court.
"No one listens to anybody. The Concerned Ratepayers did get a little
radical, but what do you do when you've talked to the council and they
won't talk to you,"Whelpton says.
He thinks Daly ratepayers will not re-elect council. "They're going
to be at home. They're not going to run,"Whelpton says. "I'm
going to work very hard to make sure they don't."
The Sun called the mayor and councillors in Daly, but none would return
repeated calls.
Ruth Pryzner, spokesperson for the Concerned Daly Ratepayers, says Daly
is going to see a new council come fall."There needs to be a change
in council. People just aren't listening. This whole issue could have
been avoided if they just sat down with us and worked it out,"Pryzner
says.
It has become common to see ratepayers pegged against councillors in many
rural municipalities surrounding Brandon.
"I think this intensive livestock thing is a big issue - people
get very emotional. When you start dealing with their quality of life,
that's big. Candidates will run on that account,"says Phil Dornian,
a Rural Municipality of Glenwood ratepayer.
Sean Katchin, who farms in the Rural Municipality of Silver Creek, agrees.
"It's such a big issue...it's everywhere in every RM. Every time
you pick up a paper, it seems that's all you read about. It's the people
versus the council," he says.
Katchin says he's pleased with his council's latest move to introduce
stringent bylaws for livestock operations, but some neighbours think it's
too late for councillors to win back the ratepayers.
"You're going to see the restructuring of the council. People now
realize the power of council,"says John Clarke, who moved to the
Silver Creek municipality two years ago only to find himself in the middle
of an intensive livestock debate.
Silver Creek Reeve William J. Kalyniak says he will let ratepayers decide
if he should serve another term. "I think they're pleased with this,"Kalyniak
says. "I haven't decided if I'm going to run again. I'll leave that
up to the ratepayers,"
None of the rural municipalities have any solid candidates right now,
but agree the upcoming election is going to be interesting.
kduncan@brandonsun.com
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Pork
Council hoping cooler heads prevail
Some ratepayers are so angry they are promising to boot their respective
rural councillors during the coming fall election.
But the Manitoba Pork Council is hoping the provincial government will
step in a smooth things over. Marcel Hacault, chairman of the Pork Council,
says the council and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities is waiting
on Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk to announce the province is taking
environmental controls out of the hands of rural municipalities. Hacault
says much of the controversy in Manitoba municipalities comes from rural
councils trying to take responsibility for environmental controls when
it come to intensive livestock operation. "I think the controversy
is probably a symptom of the perception of the current environment."Hacault
says.
He says intensive livestock operations are already under the intensive
scrutiny of Manitoba Conservation. With municipal councils trying to take
environmental controls into their own hands. Hacault says it also puts
the liability on the municipalities. He said the pork council and the
Association of Manitoba Municipalities are hoping the province adopts
uniform rules for livestock operations to take the pressure of municipalities
and their ratepayers.
- Brandon Sun
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Hog
operations welcome in some communities
by Kyla Duncan
Brandon Sun
Saturday, July 13, 2002
In the midst of squabbling over hog operations in a multitude of Manitoba's
rural municipalities, at least two communities have welcomed the pork
industry with open arms.
Pro West Pork has been operating happily in Hartney for abut five years.
Clare Phillips, deputy mayor, says the hog operation has helped sustain
the community's youth. In Hamiota, Chief Administrative Officer to the
town and rural municipality Ernest Buhler says with the addition of Premium
Pork in 2000, walking down the street has become a different experience.
Pro West employs about 20 to 25 people, mainly young Hartney adults, whose
children are keeping the daycare in the town viable. " the majority
of the employees are young and have families and they live in town. It's
good for the town, it's good for the school."
Phillips says when Pro West Pork first proposed its move into the community,
the town did not see nearly as much opposition as some of it's neighbouring
communities are seeing now. "There's always a certain amount of opposition,
but it wasn't too bad," Phillips says. " It went through without
a major problem."
"It's amazing how many young people you see here now," Buhler
says. "The biggest bonus for me is to see baby carriages being pushed
down the street." Hamiota has been growing steadily over the last
20 years, thanks to its top-of-the line health centre attracting the retirement
community. But Buhler says the town and the rural municipality have realized
they need to do more to preserve its future.
"We had a public meeting and talked about attracting livestock operations,
specifically hog operations, about two years before we even knew about
Premium Pork," Buhler says, Premium Pork, a sow multiplying company
based out of Ontario, employs more than 50 people at the barns and creates
multiple spin-off employment for local contractors. Because of the surge
of young families into the area, Buhler says housing and daycare spaces
have become sparse.
But he says it's a challenge most rural communities would envy dealing
with. Town officials are waiting to hear back from the Manitoba government
for assistance in constructing affordable housing in the community and
adding daycare spaces.
kduncan@brandosun.com
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Ratepayers
want RM council to address water, environmental concerns
by Kyla Duncan
Brandon Sun
Saturday July 13, 2002
A lack of environmental stipulations for intensive livestock operations
is pitting residents against politicians in many rural municipalities
surrounding Brandon.
The Rural Municipality of Glenwood is considering three different applications
from hog operations, which would have 10 hog barns built in the municipality.
The municipality has received a petition signed by 100 ratepayers opposing
certain practices and the proximity of the barns to residences.
The Concerned Glenwood Ratepayers group members say they will keep sending
more petitions until councillors address water and environment concerns.
"It's not complete, but we got what we could together and faxed it
to them so we could see there is people who are concerned. All we were
looking for was a delay in the hearing date, but they didn't acknowledge
that," says Marilyn Morrison, spokesperson for the Glenwood ratepayers
group.
The group will have to wait for conditional hearings set for Aug. 14-16
to further voice their concerns.
"The group is kind of bewildered that we're being called the opponent,"
Morrison says. "We're not. We're just trying to maintain life as
we know it and the environment as we know it."
In the Rural Municipality of Wallace, residents got their way only after
council agreed to sell a pasture for a 6,000-sow facility.
Council rescinded that decision in late June, quieting residents and effectively
killing the project.
However, other residents are just sick of the fighting over hogs.
Rivers Resident Roy Stevenson ( read his "Letter to the Editor"
below... he is Mayor in Rivers and very much pro ILO... this is our personal
remark, not from Brandon Sun - Regine and Beat ) says he wants the Manitoba
Government to step in and resolve the fight which has erupted between
the Rural Municipality of Daly and the Concerned Daly Ratepayers which
has spilled into court."As far as we're concerned, this has gone
way too far," Stevenson says.
But the Rural Municipality of Silver Creek has sided with its residents.
Council voted unanimously to take steps into introducing stringent intensive
livestock operation bylaws in their June meeting.
The municipality is now working towards a bylaw which would require all
new such operations to have technical reviews, environmental licences
and all other permits prior to construction.
kduncan@brandonsun.com
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Letters
to the Editor/Brandon Sun
Saturday July 13, 2002
Boycott attack on free speech
One of the most basic freedoms, in a democratic society, is the freedom
of speech and the right to express an opinion without fear of reprisals.
The concerned ratepayers of Daly have removed this basic right in the
Town of Rivers and have suspended democracy by threatening a boycott of
the Town and thereby have successfully muzzled the mayor and council.
However, as "citizens" in this democratic country of Canada,
and as parents of a son who serves our country in the armed forces and
who has completed two tours of duty in the Mideast, one as a peacekeeper
and one as a peace maker, and who is now preparing to go on another tour,
we cannot keep silent.
Our son is putting his life at risk to end the bullying and terrorism
that pervades that part of the world and we must not let local bullies
and terrorists threaten our local democracy.
There are good people who have worked hard, without expecting great reward,
to make the life of their ratepayers and "citizens" better.
They have protected your property and your livelihood, have ensured that
your needs and wants are taken care of.
These hard working and concerned "citizens" are being bullied
and terrorized by a group that claims to represent a majority of the taxpayers
in the RM. Do they?
In the meantime, The Manitoba government that claims to have jurisdiction
- on the issues that concern these rate payers the most - are also hiding
behind these few good "citizens" and letting them take all the
heat.
If there is a silent majority out there, it's time to become a vocal majority.
You elected these people to act on your behalf and you must come forward
and support them now.
We, two "citizens" of this democratic country, have an obligation
to protect our democratic rights and cannot stand by and watch these good
"citizens" be destroyed for doing what they are elected and/or
hired for and required by the laws, of the province to do.
The "citizens" of Daly must speak out.
Roy and Olga Stevenson, Rivers
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Fumes
from large pig farm sends Sask. couple to hospital for treatment
Canadian Press
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
KIPLING, Sask. (CP) - Gases from a large-scale hog barn sent a nearby
couple to hospital where they were treated for headaches, nausea and breathing
problems. Mary and Dwayne Kovach, who own a small cattle ranch one mile
from a barn with 17,000 pigs, say they became ill last week after inhaling
a gas called hydrogen sulfide, which is emitted from pig manure and can
be deadly if inhaled in higher concentrations.
Two days after they returned home from hospital, the couple found the
gases were still so strong that they complained to P.I.C., the Kentucky-based
company that owns the barns.
They said P.I.C. put them up in a motel room on the weekend, the third
time they say the company has rented them a room in the last year. Kipling
is about 150 kilometres southeast of Regina.
"Those gas bubbles came into the house and it was like someone hit
me over the head with a baseball bat," said Mary. "You can only
take this for so long before it becomes a boiling point and it hits you
hard enough that you want to take action."
Officials with P.I.C. in Canada and the U.S. did not return phone calls.
"I'm not opposed to hog barns at all. I just think they should be
more careful where they are located," said Mary.
Saskatchewan Environment has been monitoring the levels of hydrogen sulfide
and other gases at the Kovachs' house.
Chris Gray, of the department's environmental protection branch, said
hydrogen sulfide levels have not exceeded provincial occupational health
standards.
Gray is also testing air samples from the house to see if there are other
contaminants that could be to blame.
"We don't know if this could cause illness or not. We'll have to
wait and see," he said.
The Kovachs think the recent warm temperatures and humidity might have
contributed to the high levels of hydrogen sulfide.
But Gray said the location of their ranch may be a contributing factor.
The couple's property is in a small valley near the barn, possibly trapping
air with contaminants near the Kovachs' home, Gray said.
Environmentalist Cathy Holtslander, with the Saskatchewan Eco Network,
said there have been other cases of people living near barns in Saskatchewan
reporting symptoms like asthma.
It could be a problem that may affect more people. The province wants
to expand the pork industry, which has an estimated two million hogs this
year, to marketing five million by 2005, Agriculture Minister Clay Serby
said Monday.
"We have a huge ambition to grow rural Saskatchewan, and the way
in which we do that is by intensifying our livestock industry," Serby
said.
Saskatchewan's land base can support up to 11 million hogs, he added.
(Saskatoon StarPhoenix)
© Copyright 2002 The Canadian Press
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Province
forming joint task force on rural air quality
CBC News Online - Saskatchewan News Digest 02/07/18
REGINA - They've been calling for action. And it appears as though they
may get their wish.
Some people who live near Saskatchewan's largest hog barns say the smell
is enough to make them sick, literally. And the province is beginning
to heed their concerns.
Saskatchewan Environment and Sask Ag and Food are receiving an increasing
number of complaints about fumes from intensive livestock operations like
hog barns. And, as a result, they're setting up a joint Task Force with
Alberta and Manitoba.
According to Terry Hanley – the manager of Ecological Monitoring
with the environment department – the group will look into the issue
of rural air quality.
Hanley says the task force will answer questions like "how much
of an issue is this? Are there things that we can do in common? And where
do we need to go with this one?"
According to Hanley, "this issue, as it relates to intensive livestock
operations, is really in its infancy right now. We're beginning to get
reports in that smells are concerning."
Hanley says the fumes don't exceed occupational health and safety standards,
but in some cases, tests show levels of toxins, like hydrogen sulfide,
that are higher than normal. And that, explains Hanley, can affect a person's
quality of life.
The Task Force is likely to begin its work within the next six months.
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Province
Outlines Comprehensive Plan for Sustainable Growth of Livestock Sector
Manitoba
Government News Release July 22, 2002
Manitoba's Livestock Stewardship Initiative continued to move forward
today as the provincial government announced the next phase of its plan
to develop a sustainable livestock industry.
Through the Livestock Stewardship Initiative and guided by the Livestock
Stewardship Panel's report and recommendations, the provincial government
plans to improve the land use decision-making process for livestock operations,
enhance the operations and build Manitoba's research and information base
for livestock operations.
"Livestock has been and continues to be an effective means of diversification
for farmers and an economic growth mechanism for rural communities,"
said Agriculture and Food Minister Rosann Wowchuk. "Livestock
is one of the fastest growing areas of opportunity for Manitoba farmers
and is generating $250 million to $300 million in investment each year."
The province has proposed changes to the approval process that will:
· provide clarity, consistency and predictability to land use decisions;
· respect local land use decision-making;
· introduce provincial standards to guide local land use decision-making;
and
· clarify the roles and responsibilities between the province and
local government with respect to the environment and land use.
Some of the changes have been undertaken to date and others will be
implemented over the next 12 to 18 months.
"Our government has always believed that local land use planning
is the best mechanism through which local governments can manage development,
including intensive livestock developments," said Intergovernmental
Affairs Minister Jean Friesen. "Our proposed changes to the approval
process will ensure local control over land use, while giving the industry
a sense of clarity and predictability."
Conservation Minister Oscar Lathlin said the proposed changes to the
approval process will be backed up by enhanced management of livestock
operations and expanded research and monitoring of the long-term impacts
of the operations:
· effective next spring, all livestock operations over 300 animal
units (AU) will be required to submit annual source water tests conducted
by an accredited laboratory; and · new studies will look at phosphorus
levels in soils, the cumulative impact of livestock production on the
environment and the views of Manitobans
living near these operations.
"Better access to scientific and technical information will enable
sound decisions to be made on the siting of livestock operations,"
Lathlin said. "A practical research, monitoring and enforcement program
will provide
ongoing assurance that our environment is protected."
Lathlin noted that the province recently introduced legislation that
would strengthen drinking water quality standards. Other initiatives include
establishment of the Office of Drinking Water, reintroduction of subsidized
water testing for private well owners, certification of drinking water
operators and an investment of $31.2 million in provincial funds to upgrade
water systems in Manitoba since April 2001.
The provincial government will further improve the management of livestock
operations through:
· certifying of commercial manure applicators;
· phasing in of a lowered animal unit threshold;
· requiring third parties preparing manure management plans to
be professional agrologists; and
· providing the Farm Practices Protection Board, which mediates
nuisance disputes arising from practices of legally established agricultural
operations, with a higher profile through a revised Web site outlining
its
mandate, activities and decisions.
"We recognize that, despite these improvements in our approach
to sustainable development of the livestock sector, there will continue
to be challenges ahead," said Wowchuk. "We want to thank the
Livestock
Stewardship Panel and representatives of producers, environmental groups
and local governments for their advice and assistance throughout this
process.
We will continue to work with them and others over the long-term as we
ensure the environmental and economic sustainability of the livestock
industry in Manitoba."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
Improved management of livestock operations.
Legislation introduced last spring will require all commercial manure
nutrient applicators to be formally certified and licensed. The Manitoba
government is working with Assiniboine Community College to develop a
curriculum for certification.
The government previously announced its intention to apply manure management
regulations to more large operations by lowering the regulatory threshold
from 400 animal units (AU) to 300 AU. The new threshold will be phased
in over eight years:
· Next spring, all new livestock operations over 300 AU will be
required to have manure management plans and will be prohibited from spreading
manure in winter.
· Existing operations over 300 AU will be required to register
manure management plans by February 2004. They must stop winter manure
spreading by November 2010.
· The government will also evaluate the methods and impact of calculating
AU cumulatively across species, to ensure that mixed family farms are
not unduly affected during the transition.
· The government has introduced legislation requiring that any
third party preparing a manure management plan must be registered with
the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists.
Building Manitoba's research and information base for livestock operations
Improved access to information and research will be facilitated through
revamped Web sites:
· Improved access to information on livestock and manure management
research will be provided on the Manitoba Agriculture and Food Web site.
· More publicly accessible information will provide a higher profile
for the role and function of the Farm Practices Protection Board, which
mediates nuisance disputes arising from practices of legally established
agricultural operations.
Improving land use decision-making
The province intends to:
· Require mandatory local planning and more effective livestock
operations policy in the development plan. All local planning authorities
will be required to prepare and adopt development plans that will include
a
livestock operations policy identifying areas where livestock operations
will be permitted, restricted or prohibited. (Development plans require
the approval of the minister of intergovernmental affairs. The livestock
operation policy will, therefore, be negotiated and approved in partnership
with the province through the existing development plan approval process
under The Planning Act.) Municipalities will have about 18 to 24 months
from the time of adoption of such requirements to prepare and adopt or
revise their development plans to include a livestock operation policy.
· Introduce provincial standards on the siting, setback and separation
distances that municipalities will use in livestock operation decision-making.
These standards are intended to provide more consistency
in local decision-making. Provincial standards will be based on the existing
farm practices guidelines and will override any similar siting, setback
and separation distance requirements in existing zoning by-laws.
Municipalities will have the ability to vary the provincial standards
by a small percentage to take into account local circumstances.
· Introduce a standard review process for livestock operations
to be used by local authorities to replace the current conditional use
process for livestock operations. All livestock operations 300 AU or greater
will
require public notice, a local hearing and a technical review committee
report for municipalities to make a decision. Council will make a decision
as to whether to vary the provincial standard, the need for a development
agreement and other conditions. There will not be an appeal mechanism
to the decision of council on a livestock operation. The main purpose
of the local hearing process will be to deal with the specifics of the
livestock operation, land use policy considerations having been dealt
with under the
development plan.
· Clarify local land use decision-making perimeters. Clarify the
conditions and terms of a development agreement that a municipality can
require for approval of a livestock operation.
Other initiatives taken to date under the Livestock Stewardship Initiative
include:
· Since 1999, the provincial government has created 20 more positions
and allocated $2.6 million more toward monitoring, inspection and enforcement.
As a result, the government is inspecting 500 more manure storage facilities
each year.
· The majority of municipalities is now involved in planning as
a result of provincial incentives for enhanced land use planning.
· Technical review committee reports have been made mandatory for
all development proposals over 400 AU.
· Laws have been amended so that all provincial approvals must
be in place before any construction can begin.
· The recently upgraded groundwater database will be used as an
additional tool for livestock siting decisions.
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Farmscape
for July 25, 2002
The Canadian Pork Council says changing attitudes in the European Union
toward the distribution of agricultural subsidies offers hope for increased
Canadian food exports down the road.
The European Commission is proposing a system that will replace agriculture
subsidies linked to production with provisions that will reward farmers
who focus more on the environment, animal welfare and food safety.
The hope is that a new agriculture policy will be in place before the
E-U expands in 2004.
Canadian Pork Council Executive Director Martin Rice says the commission
has put forward some fairly dramatic proposals and it will be looking
for the support of EU member nations.
Clip-Martin Rice-Canadian Pork Council
These proposals would have the common agricultural policy operate much
more neutrally towards agricultural production.
It would have subsidies going out more to farms that are in greater need
and less money paid out directly on a commodity basis and also have programs
that will operate more to address environmental and welfare and other
issues that exist in the community.
We have seen a quite a considerable amount of adjustment in the European
attitude and we've already seen a fair bit of progress in them putting
limitations on export subsidies.
European agriculture has definitely made a turn away from being purely
production expansion driven by subsidies and less affected by production
subsidies.
Rice suggests the proposed changes offer long term hope for increased
Canadian access to the European market.
He points out the changes will take a fair bit of time, perhaps a couple
of years, to be adopted by member states and then another two, three or
four years to be implemented and start impacting trade.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
*Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council
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Compensation
one hog solution
Letter
to the Winnipeg Free press
Mon, Jul 29, 2002
With respect to your well-meaning but superficial editorial on the province's
recently-announced regulations relating to the placement of hog factories
(Hog discord addressed, July 23), it's obvious that the government still
doesn't get it.
This is a Not In My Back Yard issue. No one who isn't directly affected
by these polluting monstrosities seems to understand that hog factories
can render life pure hell for residents living within five miles of one
in any direction.
And it follows that when a hog factory sets up in your neighborhood,
the value of your property is liable to take a beating as well.
Those residing inside the Perimeter may think that the rural area is
simply open space of marginal importance. The truth is, that in agricultural
regions at least, there are residences dotting the countryside at about
one-mile intervals. These residences are occupied by people with the same
basic interests and aspirations as everyone else. They work hard, do their
best to be good citizens and, for the most part, only want to live harmoniously
with those around them. Just like their counterparts in the city, many
have invested heavily in their yards and homes.
What this means is that there are virtually no places in southern Manitoba
where you can set up a hog factory with impunity. Putting aside hog-factory
zones in each municipality, as the government is apparently mandating,
simply sidesteps the issue; it doesn't address the problem of how you
decide on an equitable basis where these areas of intense pollution should
be located -- in other words, which areas are expendable. Surely a degree
in rocket science isn't required to understand that those already living
within one of these soon-to-be designated zones might not be overly happy
about their newly-acquired expendable status.
The only halfway reasonable solution is compensation. Hog-factory entrepreneurs
should have been compelled from the outset to strike a deal with adjacent
homeowners for permission to pollute their airspace and/or groundwater.
It may be too late to institute such a requirement now, and the next best
alternative would be for the province to buy out, or otherwise compensate,
these homeowners from revenues derived from hog-industry taxes. An even
better solution might be to repeal the Farmlands Practices Protection
Act and let the lawsuits begin.
Bob Holloway
Sperling
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Last updated: July
4, 2002 |