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Hog Watch Manitoba News February 2003 |
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Countryside
Commentary There's a rising tide of concern, and outright resistance to proceeding with Ontario's Nutrient Management Act now that farmers have had a look at the 250 pages of regulations and protocols. Five years ago farmers themselves started promoting nutrient management plans. Why is the tide turning against this initiative? Here's what I'm hearing. 1. The act leaves the impression that nitrogen and phosphorous in livestock manures burden our environment when, in fact, they are a superior nutrient source for crop production. Livestock manures are rich in carbon and a myriad of microbes that can help rebuild soils in Ontario that have not been blessed with manures for decades. 2. Composting, historically considered a superior enhancement for the ability of livestock manures to rebuild the productive capacity of soils, will be discouraged by these regulations. They will also discourage no-till while encouraging continuous corn production. 3. An initiative of this size needs financial support clearly identified from the getgo. 4. The act will turn many law-abiding
citizens into law-breakers. Under the present Environmental Protection
Act, to charge a farmer with an offence, the Ministry of Environment has
to prove that a farmer's activities clearly degraded a natural resource,
water for example. The Nutrient Management Act, on the other hand, creates
a long list of rules that will lead to "non-pollution incidents."
Agriculture is dynamic. Sustainable farming requires good planning but
always plans in response to sunshine, rainfall, frost, weed pressure or
livestock diseases. Farmers will make good decisions for their farms and
our environment, but without every permutation written down in their nutrient
management plan, will soon find themselves out of compliance. Farmers
risk being charged with an offence, despite making the best decision for
our countryside. (Incidentally, farmers think that the Ministry of Environment
has not had enough resources to effectively enforce 5. Many farmers will be labeled part of the problem, even though their farming activities are not large enough to make them a part of the solution. 6. The proposed regulations are so focused on the environmental risks of over-applying or careless spreading of livestock manure that farmers may resort to processing and bagging it for burgeoning urban flower gardens. Exporting our countryside's nutrients will erode the long-term sustainability of our productive farmland. Livestock and crop production belong together in a loop. 7. Farmers have little confidence that the effort and expense that this new act will require of them will deliver documentable benefits for our environment. Nutrient management started
out well. Its principles are essential to good environmental stewardship.
On the way to law and regulations we've added impacts on many farmers.
By comparison the environmental benefits will be few. Elbert van Donkersgoed is the
Strategic Policy Advisor of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario,
Canada. Corner Post can be heard weekly on CFCO Radio, Chatham and CKNX
Radio, Wingham, Ontario. Corner Post is archived on the website of the
Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario:
H2infO List Serv is
a service of H2infO - The Water Information Network, a collaborative project
of RiverSides Stewardship Alliance, the Toronto Environmental Alliance,
and the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. This is a
moderated list serv. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those
of the collaborative partners. The land use plannign consultation document suggests consideration is being given to removal of the conditional-use designation from rural municipality plans. The current application of conditional-use zoning is a key part of local community consultation and the importance of local governments. As an example, rural residents cannot be expected to force themselves into a one-policy-fits-all approach to dealing with livestock barns. Landscapes, watersheds, commercial development and housing patterns are not uniform and the conditions under which new developments are permitted must recognize this - through discretion and open processes by elected local public officials. The consultation documentation
seems to indicate a clear preference for systems that it claims are used
elsewhere under which no conditional/discretionary uses are allowed -
every development-type must be
approved or disapproved on a blanket basis with no room for consideration
of the unique charateristics and siting of each case. This would
be a major disappointment if it were adopted in Manitoba, and would be
a significant blow to the role of local governments in developing unique,
carefully considered and locally driven visions for their municipalities. Livestock
Agriculture: Increased EPA Oversight Will Improve Environmental Program
for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
Ontario
Hog Conference on May 24th in Ottawa
Link
Found Between Nitrates, Well Water, and Factory Farms
The studies show that wells in the area between Parker and Zillah, where there is a low number of factory dairies, have levels of nitrates below the federal standards for nitrates (10 mg/l) and are absent for E. Coli contamination. The water falls within federal safe water guidelines. In sharp contrast, the areas between Granger and Grandview, where large numbers of cows are confined year round, high levels of nitrates and the presence of E.Coli have been found. "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know what's causing the well water pollution", said Mary Lynne Bos, Vice President of CARE and a 70-year resident of the valley. "Contaminated well water was not a problem when cows were allowed to graze on pasture." The report states that "Concentrations of nitrates in excess of the MCL {Maximum Contaminant Level} of 10 mg/l can pose a health risk to infants under one year of age, pregnant women, individuals with impaired immune systems and individuals with hereditary lack of methemogloblin reductase. High nitrate exposure has also been associated with intrauterine growth restriction and prematurity." "It is a sad commentary that we are allowing an industry to exist in our valley that is a danger to the infirm, the young and the elderly. The factory dairy pollution is not only endangering our health, it is also destroying our quality of life," said Helen Reddout, consultant for Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE), a national environmental organization, and President of CARE. Charlie Tebbutt, of the Western Environmental Law Center (WELC), legal counsel for CARE said, "This study once again confirms our fears that the factory dairies are causing industrial scale pollution in the Valley. The state agencies responsible for protecting the public's health have failed miserably. It is time that they, along with responsible federal agencies, take real steps to clean up this dirty industry." Tebbutt added, "The recent Bush administration rule changes for CAFOs and the proposed state cutbacks on dairy inspectors are going in exactly the wrong direction from what is needed." Reddout commented, "CARE's concerns about nitrate and E. Coli polluted wells have been confirmed not only by this study but through similar studies across the United States where animal factories operate. We need to return to sustainable farming practices before the danger to our water is beyond repair." Funding for the study
came from settlements of Clean Water Act enforcement actions brought by
the Community Association for Restoration of the Environment (CARE), a
Sunnyside, WA, area member organization working to clean up pollution
caused by the dairy factories. All of CARE's board members are members
of farming families who have lived in the community for many decades. For more information
on concentrated animal feeding operations, please visit www.factoryfarm.org.
For a copy of the report, phone Helen Reddout or Mary Lynne Bos from CARE
at (509) 854-2990. Guidelines
for hogs The move is an attempt
to assure consumers that pork producers care about the welfare of their
herds, said the chairman of Manitoba Pork Council, Marcel Hacault. Nothing
has been finalized but a pilot project is expected by the end of the year,
he said.
Delaware
Farms Eye New Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) Waste Rules Manitoba
Pledges Continued Municipal Authority in Livestock Development Manitoba's Minister of Conservation says the provincial government has no desire to strip rural municipalities of their decision making authority when it comes to intensive livestock development. Manitoba is revamping its land-use planning laws prompting concern among some rural councilors that proposed changes will give the province the final say on contentious agricultural projects.
That is a key element of what we've got in the way of a message from municipalities and we think that's the way it should continue. Local communities can better make those kind of decisions than the provincial or federal governments. That's not any different than the way we would deal with an industrial plant...subject to planning and zoning considerations. Whether it's in the city of Winnipeg or if it's in the RM of Fisher, there should be no different process for dealing with agricultural initiatives as compared to industrial initiatives. When I say "no difference" I should particularly make sure there's no additional impediments...proper scrutiny but not more or less. Ashton says the province has a wealth of resources available and has embarked on a number of initiatives to assist municipalities in the decision making process. However, he says, the province should not be making decisions that people can make for themselves. For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane. -Steve Ashton was
on hand for Manitoba Swine Seminar 2003 which wrapped up yesterday in
Winnipeg. Agriculture
Researcher is Confident Composting Has a Role in Swine Production Brandon Research Centre Integrated Agricultural Management Specialist Dr. Katherine Buckley says new challenges in manure handling may be more easily managed through on farm composting. Clip-Dr. Katherine Buckley-Agriculture and Agrifood Canada By far and away the biggest advantages are odor reduction and reduction in transportation costs. During the process of composting you'll get a reduction in volume of up to 72 percent of the mass. That includes the manure and the bedding. This translates into much less manure for trucking so you save the trucking costs. The odor issue is a huge issue and during active composting there is very little odor and, if the product is managed properly, there will never be a complaint about it. Some of the other factors are, because you may be using composting in a bedded system, you don't have the water usage that you have in liquid handling systems. That presents some advantage because we are facing, probably in the future, some water shortages. Composting reduces pathogens so, if you are composting diseased material from the field, you'll have a much lower incidence of soil born diseases and you don't attract rodents to the area which is a concern especially in solid bedded systems. Dr. Buckley stresses the economics of composting will depend on managerial skills. She says the process has to be tailored to fit the needs of the individual farm taking into account differences in equipment, time constraints or just the physical attributes of the land. For Farmscape.Ca,
I'm Bruce Cochrane.
Making
Connections to Make Manitoba Food-Secure For too many people the question isn¹t "what shall we eat?" but "will we eat?" This is as true of a prosperous society like Manitoba as it is of a struggling nation in the Third World. In 1984 a group of Winnipeggers established the Winnipeg Harvest food bank as a temporary response to tough economic times. Harvest is now an unfortunately well-entrenched institution, providing food to over 37,000 people each month. And while some Manitobans wonder where their next meal will come from, others worry about whether it is even safe to tuck into their current meal. After the tragedy in Walkerton, Ontario, where seven people died and 2,300 people fell ill from drinking contaminated water, many Canadians are asking if they can accept government guarantees that they food they buy won¹t kill them. Nor is there much security in growing food these days. From 1996 to 2001 the number of Manitoba farms making more than $2,500 a year declined by 11 per cent. All Manitobans, be they residents of Northern Manitoba who pay more for two litres of milk than for two litres of Coke, family farmers trapped between rising costs and falling prices, low-income families depending on the food bank to make it to the end of the month, or middle-class consumers worrying about the level of pesticides in their salad, are prey to food insecurities. But how can we work together to create food security in Manitoba? That is the question that participants in a two-day conference in Winnipeg at the end of this month are going to try to answer. Co-sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives MB, the Organic Food Council of Manitoba, the Manitoba Eco-Network, and Winnipeg Harvest, Making Manitoba Food-Secure will bring together farmers, food-bank users, families, community organizers, practitioners, educators and policy makers. BRINGING SOMETHING TO THE TABLE Just as at any good meal, everyone will be bringing something a little different to the table. For David Northcott, the director of Winnipeg Harvest, "the biggest cause of food insecurity is poverty." Northcott first became aware of the concept of food security at the 1996 World Food Summit. That conference committed itself to a goal of halving world hunger by 2015. Since then, hunger has gone up, both internationally and here in Manitoba. Janine Gibson, the Co-Chair Organic Food Council of Manitoba, stresses the importance of local communities in her definition of food security. Food security to me means knowing that my food has come from local farmers, that the farmer and food has been treated with respect, and that the people in my community can afford good quality food. We don¹t have much of that today. Most Canadians are eating food that has been trucked from 2000 kilometres away. There is no tracking system to determine if the food on supermarket shelves has been genetically modified or treated with pesticides. To Gibson, there is also a cultural side to food security. "One of the main barriers to food security is the fact that most of us have lost our connection to food production. We don¹t grow it, we don¹t process it, we don¹t even prepare it." That is one of the reasons why the Conference opens with a free public feast on February 28. The feast, which will be held at the Thunderbird Centre on Main Street in Winnipeg, will consist of local organic food. Fred Tait, the Manitoba coordinator for the National Farmers Union, points out that for the past 30 years governments and industry have told farmers that the way to a more secure future was to become more efficient. "By this they mean fewer farmers producing larger and larger crops. It has destroyed rural communities, but it has not created security. My parents raised a family on 240 aces, I am doubtful if you could do that on 4,000 acres today. And if you need fewer farmers, your farm communities die." Tait said that over the past two decades governments have abandoned farmers to the market. "As a farmer I would like to provide a product that is affordable and serves a human need. I would like to meet the needs of the local community and anyone else in the world experiencing a food shortage. But instead our policies are oriented to export, where we are trying to supply foreign markets with cheaper food than anyone else. We create chaos for the local producers elsewhere and we have to cut back on our own environmental and labour standards so we can compete." Anne Lindsey, the executive director of the Manitoba Eco-Network, said many environmentalists approach food security with a sense that the modern industrial food system is not safe. "As an environmentalist I always think about where food has come from and what has gone into it. I am worried about genetically modified foods and the impact of pesticides. But I also know there are other important food issues." A food security conference, she said, can help people understand each other¹s perspectives. People in a number
of North American communities, including Toronto and Washington, have
been able to create local food security networks. These networks are committed
to a vision that ensures every local resident access to sufficient, safe,
and personally acceptable foods: in other words, food security. Each community
has to cook up its own definition, but this month¹s conference is
ripe with potential. As David Northcott says, ³This conference allows
us to link people with like spirits but are taking different journeys
on the issue of food security. Hopefully it will allow us to collectively
stand on the same ground and show each other support.
Ableman has worked with low-income communities from Los Angeles to New York City. His work has helped to inspire hundreds of projects and initiatives throughout North America, including the food gardens at the Santa Barbara AIDS Hospice, an 11-acre farm at the Midland School, and a market garden at a housing project in Watts. Michael now lives
on an organic farm in British Columbia. He is uniquely suited to make
connections between the economic and environmental barriers to food security,
and to share his experience with imaginative, community-based solutions.
A report commissioned by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) predicts that Country of Origin Labeling, could cost US hog producers $10 per hog in the first year of the program, as producers prepare the documentation required to comply with the law. The NPPC calculates that if the costs were passed on to consumers, pork purchases could fall by 7%. The report also predicts that since Canadian farms would not be faced with the same costs, swine feeding operations could be driven into Canada and US producers would lose 50% of their export markets. Source: www.directag.com
, Feb 12, 2003 ; Reuters via www.agriculture.com , Feb 12, 2003 . Big Sky has a hog of deal for you... SASKATOON - The province's largest hog producer is offering the public a chance to invest in their favorite livestock. For a minimum investment of $5,000 you can become an investor in Big Sky Finishers. Big Sky Farms has set up a newly incorporated company that will own and operate finishing barns. Shares in the company cost $10 dollars each, with a minimum purchase of 500 shares. Big Sky Farms president Florian Possberg says Big Sky Finishers will pay shareholders a guaranteed dividend of 10 per cent a year. This will be covered by a $620,000 finishing fee from the parent company. "Big Sky Farms Inc. takes all the marketing risk," he says. "All the feed cost risk. It's our responsibility to supply the pigs. So we supply the pigs, feed, herd health, management input, all those things to make this operation successful." Possberg says that after 15 years, Big Sky Farms will buy back the barns for the original price. He says that way the public will get its original investment back. A news conference held to unveil the scheme, attracted more business people than farmers. Big Sky Finishers is hoping to raise nearly $3 million to help build three barns. Big Sky Finishers president and CEO John Beckton says shareholders will be responsible for labor and utility costs, but little else. Beckton says this investment is about as risk free as one can get. Big Sky is supplying
the hogs, the feed, the herd health and the management. He says the parent
company will also take all the risks, something Possberg says he's prepared
to do. "I have a whole professional team that deals. With everything
from environment to hedging programs to nutritional programs, food safety,
traceability, country of origin labelling," says Possberg. New plan to save Lake Winnipeg NDP to tighten rules for septic fields, forms Tuesday, February 18th, 2003 By Helen Fallding Tighter rules for new septic fields, more soil testing on farms and protection of natural vegetation along the Red and Assiniboine rivers will be part of a pre-election action plan to save Lake Winnipeg before it dies. Conservation Minister Steve Ashton is to announce the plan today at a freshwater forum that brings together all the province's water experts, who have been pressuring the Doer government to clean up the lake before it's too late. "The goal would be to return Lake Winnipeg to where it was 30 years ago," the minister said yesterday. Lake Winnipeg has been gumming up with summer algae, wrecking holidays for cottagers and beach-goers and threatening the commercial fishery. Experts have warned the lake could go the way of Lake Erie, which was considered dead before governments took action a few decades ago. With a provincial election expected some time this year, the NDP is eager to preserve its reputation for being environmentally responsibile while shoring up votes among cottage owners. Ashton will make the announcement at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, where about 700 people are expected to gather for a forum in honour of the International Year of Freshwater, sponsored by Manitoba's Clean Environment Commission. Ashton will create a new Lake Winnipeg and Basin Stewardship Board that will identify ways to cut pollution. It will work with the CEC, perhaps holding hearings about Lake Winnipeg once ongoing hearings on the City of Winnipeg's sewage treatment plans wrap up, he said. The lake has a growing problem with nitrogen and phosphorus, which promote overgrowth of toxic algae that choke off oxygen in the water and turn into a stinking mass that washes up on beaches. Ashton called recent studies on the issue a "wake-up call." His plan is part of a province-wide water strategy that he plans to unveil in a few weeks, calling water "one of the bigger challenges we face as a province." But Glen Koroluk of Manitoba's Eco-Network said it's time the province started regulating phosphorus instead of stalling by appointing a board to look at whether it should be done. With farm runoff recently identified as one of the main sources of Lake Winnipeg pollution, Ashton's plan includes a program to expand soil testing to make sure fertilizer is not over-applied. "We have to start doing some things differently," admitted Manitoba Pork Council chairman Marcel Hacault. He said farm supply companies have been persuading livestock farmers to apply more chemical fertilizers than they need to top up their manure-fertilized fields. Garry Wasylowski, vice-president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, said it's too easy to say agriculture is the culprit. "We have to look at all aspects." Ashton will also announce plans for a new sewage and septic field regulation that sets standards for system placement, especially in new housing developments. But Doug Neal, president of the Manitoba Association of Cottage Owners, said the biggest problem is old septic systems that are leaking. He said some residents have even punched holes in the bottom of septic tanks so they won't have to pay for pump-outs. Neal is demanding better enforcement of provincial regulations. Ashton will try to keep nutrients from running off the land by encouraging the growth of natural vegetation along the rivers that drain into Lake Winnipeg. Wasylowski said if farmers take conservation measures that benefit society as a whole, the costs should be shared by government. Ashton's plan also calls for Manitoba Hydro to help address erosion concerns related to its regulation of water levels on the lake. About a third of the nutrients polluting Lake Winnipeg originate in the Red River basin south of the U.S. border. Ashton said he will start cross-border talks to address that problem. It's a lot easier to regulate pollution when it comes from a single source such as a factory, he said. "It's a lot tougher when you've got a cumulative impact," he said. "We have to think outside the lake, think outside the river -- think back to the sources." The minister did not give a timeline for implementing the plan, but promised to act quickly. "This is not a long-term strategy." The new board will work with an existing Lake Winnipeg advisory board, possibly merging with it eventually. CBC's Bob McDonald will open the free all-day forum by putting Manitoba's water resources in global perspective. David Schindler from the University of Alberta will follow with a discussion of how climate change will affect the province's water. "We're scraping by now. We may have even more difficulty in the future," said Terry Duguid, chairman of the Clean Environment Commission. Between workshops, Richard Coombe will talk about New York's $1.5 billion US strategy of working with landowners to keep the city's drinking water supply pristine. That saved the city from spending four times as much on a filtration plant, Duguid said. The strategy includes
manure management, fencing waterways and some public purchase of land
-- all techniques that could be applicable to saving Lake Winnipeg and
Manitoba's drinking water sources.
Province
Announces Lake Winnipeg Action Plan "Including opposition to the controversial Garrison Diversion project which threatens to environmentally damage the Red River Watershed, our government is committed to ensuring that all possible measures are taken to maintain the quality and safety of one of our most valuable natural resources," said Ashton. Action under the six-point plan includes: establishment of a Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board to help Manitobans identify further actions necessary to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous to pre-1970 levels in the lake by 13 per cent or more, subject to further findings of the Nutrient Management Strategy; introduction of new measures to help protect natural growth along the Red and Assiniboine rivers to prevent erosion and reduce nutrient run-off into the rivers to complement the Riparian Areas Tax Credit introduced in 2001; provision of a program to expand soil testing to ensure appropriate fertilizer application in both rural and urban settings; introduction of a new sewage and septic field regulation that will outline clear standards for the placement of systems; development of a shoreline protection project in partnership with Manitoba Hydro to help address erosion concerns; and commencement of cross-border nutrient management discussions. "Since 1999, $75 million has been spent on improving flood protection, drainage and drinking water safety," said Ashton. "The province will continue to work with communities to strengthen local planning including increasing the number of conservation districts provincewide, a number which has already grown from nine to 16 in just three years." Ashton noted that, as part of the province's work on developing a long-term water strategy, numerous water-related initiatives already underway include: introducing the Riparian Tax Credit which encourages the elimination of tillage and the limitation of grazing by livestock on lands adjacent to rivers and streams; initiating a Nutrient Management Strategy to determine science based targets for nitrogen and phosphorus; launching the Livestock Stewardship Initiative to ensure the sustainable development of the livestock industry including improving decision-making for land-use planning; setting up an Assiniboine River Study to examine how much water flow is required to maintain healthy aquatic life; introducing the Pesticides and Fertilizers Control Act which mandates the certification and training of commercial manure applicators for manure nutrient management planning; and becoming the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce drinking water legislation including establishing a central Office of Drinking Water. Nutrients--mainly nitrogen and phosphorus--are essential for healthy water systems. However, when they are present in excessive amounts, they lead to the nuisance growth of algae and underwater plants which are primarily nitrogen and phosphorus derived from organic and inorganic waste. Lake Winnipeg is the 10th largest freshwater body in the world, covering 24,000 square kilometres. It serves a variety of recreation and commercial uses including fishing, angling and boating as well as providing a unique habitat for fish and organisms. Ashton added that the new Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board will work with the Clean Environment Commission to implement the action plan to ensure public involvement. "In addition
to the initiatives announced today, we will continue to work with industries
and municipalities to improve their waste water treatment systems and
continue to tighten environmental licence requirements for nutrients as
supported by ongoing scientific studies." Crackdown
on phosphorous urged to save Lake Winnipeg The scientist who forced North America to deal with acid rain and the phosphate detergents that killed Lake Erie says it's time for Manitoba to crack down on the phosphorus that is harming Lake Winnipeg. David Schindler, who used to be in charge of the federal fish biologists at Winnipeg's Freshwater Institute, was back in the city yesterday as a keynote speaker at the Freshwater Forum organized by Manitoba's Clean Environment Commission. In an interview after his speech, the winner of a 1998 award considered the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for the environment, said there is no excuse for stalling any longer on rules to control phosphorus. "We know all we need to know about phosphorus. It has been studied here and elsewhere for 50 years," the University of Alberta professor said. The nutrient has been called a "time bomb" because of the long delay between leaching and environmental consequences. "The problem of phosphorus leaching requires a long time to develop or detect, but also a very long time to correct," University of Manitoba professor Don Flaten wrote in a June 2002 report prepared for Manitoba Conservation. Manitoba Conservation Minister Steve Ashton announced a six-point action plan yesterday to clean up Lake Winnipeg. Phosphorus and nitrogen together promote the growth of toxic algae blooms that hurt aquatic life, clog up fishing nets and make drinking water taste and smell bad. The nutrients flow into lakes from streams and rivers full of farm runoff, lawn fertilizers, forestry waste and treated urban sewage. Livestock farmers have to limit the amount of nitrogen they spread on their land as manure, but there are no controls on phosphorus in Manitoba, unlike Quebec. And Manitoba's main cities also have no limits on the amount of phosphorus they pump out. The City of Winnipeg knew that would eventually change, but was not planning to deal with the problem for another 20 years. The province rejected a recommendation from the CEC and federal scientists to include phosphorus control in Portage la Prairie's new sewage treatment system. Dwight Williamson, the province's water quality manager, said Ashton's action plan includes a commitment to bring phosphorus levels back to where they were 30 years ago. That could accelerate research and consultations on phosphorus regulations that were not expected to be ready until 2006. Maple Leaf Pork in Brandon has been told it will have to treat for phosphorus when it starts up a second shift and the licence for Portage can be reopened after research on the Assiniboine River is completed, Williamson said. Ashton said he is interested in hearing what scientists like Schindler have to say. "I'll look at it very seriously." Tory agriculture critic Jack Penner said yesterday he supported the idea of controlling phosphorus now. But Williamson said nitrogen also needs to be dealt with in urban sewage. Rushing ahead to control phosphorus by itself could prove to be a waste of time and money, he said. Schindler won the 1998 Volvo Environment Prize for pioneering research in the Experimental Lakes area of northwestern Ontario that proved acid rain, pesticides and phosphates from detergent kill lakes. After Premier Gary Doer opened the conference yesterday, Schindler said the Manitoba premier seems refreshingly up-to-date on water quality problems compared to what is coming out of the mouths of other premiers. The NDP plan to save
Lake Winnipeg Conservation Minister Steve Ashton's plan, announced yesterday,
to save Lake Winnipeg. Establishment of a Lake Winnipeg and Basin Stewardship
Board to help Manitobans identify further actions necessary to reduce
nitrogen and phosphorous levels in the lake to pre-1970 levels; © 2003 Winnipeg
Free Press. All Rights Reserved.
Too many giant barns
in wrong places: study Well water in one of Manitoba's densest hog-growing regions is at high risk of contamination, according to a new study that supports warnings governments were allowing too many barns in the wrong places in their haste to expand the industry. The study for Manitoba Conservation identifies a groundwater danger zone in parts of southeastern Manitoba, which has the highest concentration of giant hog barns in the province. The zone includes the rural municipalities of La Broquerie and Stuartburn. Groundwater in these areas has a high risk for nitrate contamination, according to the study by AXYS Agronomics. In a wide swath through central Manitoba that includes the Interlake, the risk of nitrate contamination is less serious, but still significant, the study shows. Private well water in many parts of the province has previously been shown to be contaminated by nitrates, however, the study did not measure contamination levels. The researchers assessed the risk of water contamination by looking at how much chemical and manure fertilizer were applied in each rural municipality and whether there is water nearby into which the fertilizer could easily travel. It's not just hog manure causing the problem -- some of it might be attributable to other livestock or to heavy fertilizer use on irrigated crops like potatoes. The report provides some of the first evidence to back what environmentalists and leery neighbours have been predicting for years at divisive hearings across the province on new barns as Manitoba became Canada's fastest-growing hog producer.
The $130,000 study also shows that streams in a municipality on the southeastern edge of Lake Winnipeg are among those at risk for phosphorus contamination from farm runoff. The nutrient fosters the toxic algae blooms that are threatening to kill the lake. The AXYS Agronomics study was commissioned as part of the Doer government's ongoing efforts to decide whether manure-spreading regulations need to be tightened. Fixing the nitrate problem could mean forcing farmers to switch to manure-spreading practices that would be uneconomical for existing operations -- an unpalatable option for any party in an election year. Fred Tait, spokesman for Hog Watch Manitoba, said the province has chosen the easy way out -- more research. "They intend to keep expanding the industry on the current system of nutrient loading while they do another study." Manitoba led the country in hog industry growth from October 2001 to October 2002, with 2.8 million hogs farmed in the province that year -- more than twice the human population. From 1996 to 2001, Manitoba's hog population grew 43 per cent in response to increased pork demand in North America and the expansion of the Maple Leaf plant in Brandon. The provincial government jumped on the hog bandwagon to give farmers another source of income when grain prices went down after the federal government eliminated transportation subsidies. Manitoba's hog industry was valued at $860 million in 2001 -- the most valuable agricultural sector. Quebec, which used to lead the pack, has a two-year moratorium on new swine operations to give the province time to assess the impact of the massive barns on the environment. The common factor in Manitoba's risky zones for nitrate contamination is sandy soils that allow fertilizer to run straight down to aquifers near the surface. Critics of the hog industry have warned for years that spreading manure on that kind of land would prove disastrous. "It was so predictable," said Tait, who believes provincial officials overestimated how much nitrogen and phosphorus crops would take out of the soil. Nitrates above the level approved for drinking water have been found in private wells throughout rural Manitoba, but there's not enough information to assess whether the problem is worse in areas with intensive livestock operations or potato farming. Dr. Jim Popplow, the province's senior environmental health adviser, said a link between nitrates and bladder or stomach cancer has not been proven. The 10 milligrams per litre drinking water limit may be overly conservative, he said, noting that the diagnosis of "blue baby syndrome" is virtually unknown at that level. La Broquerie and Stuartburn are second and sixth in the province in terms of manure production per hectare from all types of livestock. Neighbouring Hanover, which pumps out even more manure, has a lower risk because it is blessed with more clay in soil nearer the Red River. The clay forms a barrier that stops rainwater from carrying fertilizer down into groundwater. La Broquerie Reeve Ken Mantie said his municipality is "just about barned out." He would not be surprised if a new proposal up for approval this month gets turned down. One livestock operation recently approved by the municipality was told it could only spread manure on each parcel of land every second year, Mantie said. Al Beck, who manages Manitoba Conservation's environmental program for livestock, said another option is dividing the liquid manure application into two doses so each slug is easier for the land to absorb. Carting the manure to farms farther away is rarely economically feasible because it is much cheaper to move lightweight chemical fertilizer. Manitoba Pork Council chairman Marcel Hacault said the industry is very aware of the nutrient issue and has invested a lot of money in researching solutions. The AXYS report makes no recommendations for action. It identifies 13 municipalities in danger of having phosphorus from fertilizer end up in streams. Most are in parts of western Manitoba where hilly ground makes runoff more likely. helen.fallding@freepress.mb.ca Hog
Watch Benefit Info-Concert Oinkity - Oink - Oink
! Guest speakers Fred Tait of Hog Watch Manitoba and Vicki Burns of the Winnipeg Humane Society will tell all about modern factory hog farming that the industry and their biggest piggy partners, our governments, don't want you to know. Best of all, you will be righteously entertained by these prime cuts of Manitoba talent. Laugh-in with that ""smokin" ham Al Rae, shake yer bacon to the likes of Richard Moody, Daniel Koulak, The Ministers of Cool and more. Tickets are only $10.00 at the door or from Hog Watch members. Funds will go to Hog Watch to help heal our endangered environment. It's about our health and everyone's future. Y'all come now...ya hear?!
N.B. Thanks for letting your friends know in advance of this upcoming event. Care to email or fax others? Your help would be much appreciated. There will be some visuals to aid in our efforts to educate urban dwellers to what's really going out here in the hinterland. For more info ph/fax: Bill Harrison 248-2221 or Hog Watch 947-3082 Please note: this
is NOT a "barn burning event" Editorial
- Set limits on swine That study shows the sandy soil in southeast Manitoba, where there is a heavy concentration of hog operations, makes wells there particularly vulnerable to nitrate contamination. That risk is considerable in central regions. In Western Manitoba, phosphorous runoff poses a threat to streams and rivers. The critical piece of information missing is how much nitrate and phosphorous is making its way now into the wells, rivers and lakes. The picture that is slowly materializing, however, is not an optimistic one. Manitoba municipalities have for near a decade now courted huge hog operations, welcoming barns with hundreds of animals. Only very recently have provincial regulations attempted to check where, how big and how well-managed those businesses had to be. Local residents and environmental activists have clamoured and warned for years that hogs not only make life tough for their human neighbours, but pose a real risk to the environment. Rules began changing slowly in 1998 and last year, the provincial government introduced more controls on such development. The province has not stepped in to limit the size or number of farms, nor to dictate what regions can accommodate more growth. This latest study shows why such considerations are necessary. But such decisions require information, specifically how the industry now is affecting the land, the water and the people. Government does not have that data. Meanwhile, municipalities continue to entertain applications for new operations. And there is no sign Manitoba has lost its taste for pork; as of Jan. 1 this year, Manitoba had 2,870,000 hogs, up from 2,688,000 a year ago. Conservation Minister Steve Ashton announced this week a new board will look at identifying the sources of pollution that threaten Lake Winnipeg. The Prairie sea is choking from algae build up, spurred on by excessively high nutrient levels washing in primarily from the United States and from Manitoba agricultural land draining ultimately into Lake Winnipeg. This is a late response to demands for more prudent management amid mounting warnings that drinking water and vaunted provincial natural resources are suffering now. The Doer administration
does not want to give hog producers any reason to look for greener pastures
in Canada. It has decided not to follow Quebec's lead in imposing a moratorium
on new operations while it measures the effects on the environment. Manitobans
need to see their government quickly gather data that can assure them
their water and land are not imperiled. The Conservation Department should
commission independent studies that can predict how much leeching and
runoff will result from the amount of hog waste now being generated. Then
Manitobans will know how many more pigs this province can handle. Last updated: February 24, 2003 |