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Hog Watch Manitoba News March 2003 |
| Index: Smithfield
to turn hog waste into diesel fuel Smithfield said it will be the major partner in BEST BioFuel LLC, a partnership that will build the plant at Smithfield-owned swine production facilities near Milford, Utah. "Livestock waste can be a source of clean, renewable vehicle fuel," said Robert F. Urell, Smithfield senior vice president, engineering and environmental affairs, in a news release. The Smithfield facility will be built at Circle Four Farms in southwest Utah. Construction is scheduled to start in April, pending final approval of a conditional use permit and a permit from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Smithfield's Utah swine operation produces about 1 million market hogs a year, and the biodiesel project will use the waste from about half of those hogs, the company said. "The Utah facility is a specially suited location for this because we are able to order the waste in pipes," said Dennis Treacy, Smithfield's vice president of environmental affairs and government relations. About 90 percent of U.S. biodiesel is made from soybean oil. U.S. biodiesel use increased to about 15 million gallons in 2002 from 500,000 in 1999. For the Smithfield project hog waste will be collected and processed into biogas which will then be converted into biomethanol. The biomethanol will be transported to a plant outside of Utah for processing into biodiesel fuel using soybean oil, animal fat or used cooking oil. Use of animal waste for biodiesel is rare but the methanol from the waste could be used for the fuel, said Fred Mayes, a manager at the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy. "By starting with methanol, which is a fairly clean substance compared with grease, you are improving the mix and my guess is you would be improving some of the specific characteristics of the biodiesel," Mayes said. The Smithfield facility could start producing fuels as early as October, the company said. Smithfield Foods is the leading processor and marketer of fresh pork and processed meats, and the largest hog producer, in the United States. Story by Bob Burgdorfer **************************************************************************** MANITOBA BACKS SYSTEM TO FACILITATE Manitoba will recommend to the federal Standing Committee on Agriculture tomorrow that Canada move toward a standard framework for the interprovincial movement of meat and meat products. "Canada needs a single meat inspection standard so that we can demonstrate a uniform level of food safety across the country without creating an unnecessary burden for smaller facilities and those processing alternate meats such as bison," said Wowchuk. In Canada, there are at least five approaches to meat inspection including federal, provincial and, in some provinces, municipal authorities. A single meat inspection standard would simplify the inspection process and assist Manitoba meat producers in developing potential markets in other provincial jurisdictions, said Wowchuk. "For the bison, elk and deer industries especially, there are only a limited number of plants close to producers which will process their animals, and these plants are unable to move their products interprovincially," said Wowchuk. "For local slaughter plants, shipping interprovincially is the only way to access new markets." Currently, the majority of the meat slaughtered and processed in Canada is handled in large, federally inspected plants and the federal Meat Inspection Act restricts the interprovincial trade of meat products to only those plants that are federally registered. In Manitoba, however, the slaughter and processing of locally produced livestock, particularly sheep, lamb, veal, deer and elk is carried out primarily in plants that are licensed and inspected by the provincial government. These products are not permitted to cross a provincial border or enter into major retail systems that have federally registered storage facilities. Manitoba would like the National Meat and Poultry Regulation and Code, developed in 1994 as part of a broader blueprint for food safety, to be implemented and become the national standard for interprovincial movement of meat and meat products, said Wowchuk. "I look forward to discussing the implementation of the national meat regulation with my provincial counterparts and will be very interested in hearing any recommendations from the federal standing committee. "It's essential
to ensure our diverse livestock industry and provincial processing plants
are provided the tools they need to develop markets outside the province.
Full implementation of the national meat regulation will set a national
standard which will facilitate interprovincial trade, support smaller
processors and assure one food safety standard for meat and meat products
across Canada." Request from NFU for Endorsements Preamble: NFU farm families are very concerned that the proposed regulations will cause the accelerated disappearance of family farms across the province if they are implemented in their present form. NFU members have discussed the situation in detail and are asking for the support of municipal governments and groups such as yours for the position we have taken in the attached resolution. Should you or your group choose to endorse the enclosed NFU position, we ask that you advise the Premier and Ministers of Agriculture and Food and Environment of your endorsement as soon as possible. We also would like to hear from you and welcome your feedback at <nfuo@rideau.net>, Phone: (613) 273-5545 and Fax: (613) 273-6290.
Sincerely, Peter Dowling,
Hon. Helen Johns, Hon. Chris Stockwell, Hon. Ernie Eves,
Whereas the NFU supports the immediate implementation of the Nutrient Management regulation for large livestock operations; Whereas the proposed regulations are complex and farmers and farm organizations have not had the explanation necessary to grasp the implications of them and therefore have not been able to make appropriate submissions to the Ministry; Whereas farmers will be forced to comply with the regulations whether or not they are putting the environment at risk; Whereas no assessment of the effect of the regulations on small and medium-sized farms has been released by the provincial government and a source of resources to support implementation has not been announced, implementation of the proposed regulations could be devastating for many farms and rural communities; Whereas composting of farm manure, which is a very effective way to process manure and reduce potential environmental hazards, is not adequately addressed in the proposed regulations and may be penalized or curtailed by the proposed regulations; Whereas an enhanced
environmental farm plan process is a more suitable way to address the
nutrient management requirements of Category I farms and
Derek Stack
Intensive
Livestock Operations in Court
A decision handed down by Madam Justice Suche of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba on October 21, 2002 has shed some light on the authority of municipal governments to regulate intensive livestock operations. In this matter a company, 4500911 Manitoba Ltd., challenged the right of the Rural Municipality of Stuartburn to regulate intensive livestock operations. The R.M. had initially passed a by-law in 1998 regulating intensive livestock operations and then replaced that by-law with another one in 2001. This by-law required among other things that prior to the construction of an intensive livestock operation, a permit must be obtained from the Municipality. The by-law also prohibited livestock production operations from locating within specified communities within the Municipality.
The Supreme Court of Canada has recently had an opportunity to consider the scope of the legal powers conferred on municipalities, in a case in which the Town of Hudson in Quebec had passed by-laws regulating the use of lawn care products in the town. In this particular case, the Supreme Court stated that "law making and implementation are often best achieved at a level of government that is not only effective, but also closest to the citizens affected and thus most responsive to their needs, to local distinctiveness, and to population diversity". This led Madam Justice Suche to state that "a court should attempt to interpret a municipal enactment so its purposes are consistent with those of the municipality. Only where it is clearly demonstrated that a municipal decision is beyond the legislative power granted should the decision be found to be invalid".
Pork
shares going fast: Big Sky Farms Saskatchewan CBC
News Florian Possberg is
president of Big Sky Farms. His goal was to raise nearly $3 million. Possberg
didn't think the money would come in so quickly, but then again, he also
didn't count on some people investing hundreds of thousands of dollars
into the scheme. Big Sky's formula promises investors yearly dividends of 10 per cent and a share buyback after 15 years. Brown says it is a better return than most investments these days and he thinks Big Sky can deliver on the deal. "If they can manage their production and manage their marketing, which I think they have the capability of doing, they should be able to follow through with paying out these dividends," says Brown. Even so, some hog producers wonder what shape the barns will be in after 15 years? Florian Possberg says they will probably need some upgrading, but he believes that will be cheaper than building new barns. "We know that in 15 years it's probably going to cost substantially more to build new facilities than what they cost us now to build." he says. "So we'll have significant dollars if we are required to do significant refurbishment of the facilities." Possberg says given the success of this share offering, Big Sky will likely sell shares for other barns in the future. Last Updated: Feb
14 2003 02:34 PM CST 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. Manure-spreading
law delayed until after election Agriculture Minister Helen Johns says changes to farming practices designed to protect drinking water will be delayed by at least three months. Johns told a gathering of rural politicians yesterday that the Nutrient Management Act regulations dealing with the spreading and storage of manure will likely not come into effect until July 1, not April 1 as previously announced. "They don't want to bring this in before the next election," Paul Klopp, a municipal politician and farmer from Huron County, said in an interview. It took the Conservative government more than two years to even bring forth a law of any substance dealing with the handling of manure, passed the end of last year, and now it has been months trying to put together the regulations that make up the guts of the legislation. "When the municipalities and the farm groups and the environmentalists are happy with the regulations, we will put them into place," Johns said later. "We are still negotiating, talking, working through the plan," she told the crowd. "I'm very clear that not until people are comfortable with the regulations should we move forward." Mr. Justice Dennis O'Connor recommended on the Walkerton water tragedy that the government take steps to protect water sources from the runoff from farm animal waste. Seven people died in May 2000 and more than 2,300 fell ill after drinking town water contaminated with E. coli and other bacteria, which got into the town water source from manure runoff following a heavy downpour. Johns also emphasized the manure law gives the Ontario government the power to force farmers to sell off livestock if they don't have enough land on which to spread the manure. This has many farmers scratching their heads wondering how that's going to work. The so-called Nutrient Management Act to be phased in over the next five years will dictate how many animals a farmer can keep based on whether he has enough land to safely spread the manure. "A nutrient management
plan in effect does put caps on the size of the farms," Johns told
the Rural Ontario Municipal Association. Predicting pollution spots tough; still huge information gaps Sunday, March 2nd, 2003 By Helen Fallding BIG hog barns are the least of Manitoba's water pollution worries, according to a scientist who believes activists intent on shutting down the industry are manipulating the debate. "We've got to restore a sense of balance to the discussion," said Don Flaten, acting head of soil science at the University of Manitoba. It seems like an odd message from a researcher who helped put together a new report for Manitoba Conservation that identified a pollution risk hot spot in southeastern Manitoba's hog country. The AXYS Agronomics study for Manitoba Conservation said parts of the rural municipalities of La Broquerie and Stuartburn are at high risk for nitrate contamination of well water. The chemical makes it hard for babies to get enough oxygen and may be linked to cancer. The municipalities have a dangerous combination of lots of manure spreading and sandy soils that make it easy for nitrate to wash into the aquifers from which people draw their well water. But Flaten questions whether the AXYS model is a good predictor of where farm runoff will create the worst pollution problems. The study's hypothetical hot spots don't seem to match up with what scientists know so far about real contamination -- although everyone acknowledges there are still huge information gaps. It's known there's too much algae-promoting phosphorus flowing into Lake Winnipeg from the flat Red River basin, but according to the model, phosphorus should only be a problem in the hilly regions of western Manitoba. And the model suggests nitrates should be showing up in wells in the southeastern hot spot, but the chemical was more of a problem in central and western Manitoba's shallow, sandy aquifers when Manitoba Conservation tested almost 1,000 private wells in 2000. Residents of seven rural areas around Winnipeg have been forced to drink boiled or bottled water since 2000, and elaborate plans are in the works to access new sources of drinking water or build expensive treatment systems. In most cases, however, the bacteria were traced to poorly maintained or poorly located wells inside towns -- not farm runoff. Flaten said hog barns are a relatively small part of the water pollution picture, and the bigger barns may be least responsible because they have in-house pollution control expertise. Manitoba's hog industry is already doing its part by funding a lot of the nutrient studies, he said. So where is the pollution that's gumming up Lake Winnipeg coming from and what will it take to stop it? Watch for some of these solutions in Conservation Minister Steve Ashton's water strategy, due out next month: * Soil testing: Runoff of chemical farm and lawn fertilizer is a pollution source that doesn't get neighbours up in arms like stinky hog barns. Since soil testing was privatized a decade ago, the provincial government has not had access to the results, making it hard to know where nutrients are building up. Subsidizing soil tests -- as the province recently decided to do again with private well water tests -- could be one way to get hold of that information. However, Flaten warns that privacy concerns could get in the way -- farmers are nervous about sharing soil test results with a regulator who might fine them. * Stream bank protection: The province may need to protect a certain percentage of stream banks from wandering cattle and even nearby cropping to keep rivers healthy. Farmers would never agree to legislated setbacks that take some of their land out of production, so the province wants to work with conservation districts on better farming practices that save the streams while improving farm profits at the same time. * Phosphorus regulation: Flaten said there's not enough locally-relevant research to set site-specific phosphorus levels for manure and chemical fertilizer. Picking a number and applying it across the board could shut down the agriculture industry, the professor said. In the meantime, it might be politically wise to set up some interim rules that send a message the government is getting serious about phosphorus, he said. Brandon University biologist Bill Paton warns that even if phosphorus stopped flowing into Lake Winnipeg tomorrow, the south basin has enough of the nutrient built up in its sediments to keep the lake saturated for many years. * Sewage control:
City dwellers inclined to blame rural Manitobans for Lake Winnipeg's problems
shouldn't feel too smug when they flush their toilets. During heavy rainstorms,
waste from central parts of the city goes straight to the river, and fixing
that problem could take decades and requires a bump in sewer rates.
Planning
for Livestock Operations in Manitoba February 2003 Background In 2000, the Manitoba Government
appointed a Livestock Stewardship Panel to examine issues of sustainable
livestock development. Panel consulted with industry, public, experts
and interest groups in preparing its report, ""Finding Common
Ground"". Report included almost 40 recommendations. Conclusion: Provincial Livestock Plan Plan focuses on three areas:
1. Enhanced Management of Livestock
Operations 2. Enhanced Research and Information Undertake studies of 3. Enhanced Land Use ––To create a stronger land use policy and regulatory framework for livestock operations that will lead to continued diversification of the agricultural industry in balance with the resources, environment and community interests. New approach should address problems of: ––Uncertainty as
to where L.O.s will be allowed. New Direction Introduces Province-wide standards
for local land use review of livestock operations while preserving council’s
role in decisions. 1 New policy requirements in
development plans for livestock operations, and Policy Planning for Livestock
Operations Policy is to define areas of a municipality where L.O.s may be permitted, permitted to a maximum number of AUs, or prohibited. Development plan policy on livestock operations should lead to: ––better local
planning for agricultural uses (i.e. planning by policy and not by project), Policy will be subject to public notification, hearing and appeal in accordance with The Planning Act requirements for adoption of development plan by-laws. Development plan by-law (with the Livestock Operation Policy) will be approved jointly by the local planning authority and the Province, as plan by-laws are now. Policy designation is first level screening of a livestock operation application based on the proposed location in the municipality and the total number of AUs. Second level screening is the detailed review of the livestock operation application. Detailed Review of Livestock Applications New local land use review process for site specific livestock operations is proposed to be introduced to replace: ––the conditional
use process under The Planning Act , and Local council to decide on
any L.O. of 10 or more AUs. To be approved by council, an application for a L.O. will need to conform to: ––the legislation; ––any provincial
regulation; Regulation will be based on existing Farm Practices Guidelines of Manitoba Agriculture and Food, developed through stakeholder consultation. New regulation proposed to
identify, based on the size of a L.O. by AUs, Provincial standards for: Proposed that local councils have authority to vary the provincial standards by a defined percentage (to be determined) to take account of local conditions. Regulation proposed to override any similar siting, setback and separation distance in existing municipal by-laws in order to ensure consistent province-wide standards. Intended Outcome of New Direction Strengthened policy framework for local decision-making on livestock operations. Clarified roles of local authorities in regulating land use, and the Province in regulating environment and farm practices. Enhanced predictability, consistency and timeliness of land use decisions. Status Parallel and complementary processes. nInput being received from different initiatives will be integrated. What Planning Authorities Can Do Now Review development plan by-law
and identify where L.O.s will be permitted, permitted to a specified number
of AUs, or prohibited. When Will Some Limitations Be Acceptable? Within a specified and reasonable
distance of: Policy Guidelines Each livestock land use designation
should have a sound rationale. When to Start Planning
for Livestock Operations?
__Media Skills
CBC
Sunday Movie - Directed by Gemini Award winning director Anne Wheeler (The Investigation, Better Than Chocolate), Betrayed stars Kari Matchett (Nero Wolfe, Men With Brooms) as Judy Bryce, a recently divorced young mother who returns to her hometown and her father (Michael Hogan -Monk, Cold Squad), the town water manager. However, Judy's new job as a nurse's aid soon plunges her into the horror of a deadly public health epidemic when it is revealed that E.coli has contaminated the town's water supply. When the small community can no longer cope with the strain of the epidemic, it's a race against the clock to determine the true source of the contamination. Set in the Prairies, Betrayed is the story of a town suffering from an outbreak of severe water contamination. The fictional town under attack stands in for communities next door and around the world. Inspired by events in communities in Canada and abroad, Betrayed examines an issue that is becoming increasingly important to the health and public safety of people everywhere: the regulation of food sources and drinking water. Betrayed is produced
by Saskatchewan-based Minds Eye Pictures and Barna-Alper Productions of
Toronto and will broadcast on Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 8 pm on CBC TV. Pig
pens 'cruel' "If we raise animals for food, the best we can offer these animals is a good quality of life," said John Youngman, of the Winnipeg Humane Society. Youngman said sow stalls, the 0.6 by 2.1 metre steel cages that farmers use to pen pregnant hogs, are cruel. But Garry Tolton, a hog farmer who sits on the board of directors for the Manitoba Pork Council, said sow stalls are the best pig housing method. "We don't want to be forced to have a different system if we don't have a system that works," he said. Tolton said there are benefits to sow stalls, such as the ability to give medicine to a single sick animal. Tolton said sow stalls that are maintained aren't inhumane. "We want our animals to be comfortable because when they're comfortable they're more productive," he said. But sow stalls that aren't well-kept are cruel, he said. Maintenance key to proper care "I would have to say yes, an animal can suffer if it's cared for in an inhumane manner," he said. "But I haven't seen it myself." Tolton said examples of poorly maintained stalls include dirty and poorly ventilated cages. "That kind of a system could cause reasons for improvement." Vicki Burns, executive director of the Humane Society, said the group is calling for a province-wide ban on the stalls -- used to house 300,000 pregnant pigs in Manitoba -- by 2013. "This is important because there are so many animals suffering in confinement," she said. Burns said the stalls are "cruel and unnecessary" because sows can't turn around, and can only move one step forward or back their entire adult lives. Burns said there are other options to sow stalls, such as a group housing -- an enclosure where groups of sows can roam freely. Tolton said the Humane
Society should work with farmers to develop a better method. "I would
have them to encourage producers to continue to investigate better ways
to do things," he said. Curtail
expansion of big livestock operations The Freshwater Forum on Feb. 18 heard a very enlightening presentation by Richard Coombe, of the New York State Agricultural Watershed Council. Mr. Coombe's watershed group maintains the watershed north of New York City that provides fresh water for its more than nine million people. That area is hilly and rolling much like the watershed in which I reside, which encompasses the rural municipalities of Lorne, Victoria, South Norfolk, Grey, Thompson, Dufferin and more. The first three RMs have a great impact on the water quality of the Boyne River and its manmade reservoir, Stephenfield Lake. Under pressure to do the right thing or face tough regulations from New York's proposed regulations for agriculture, a farm-city partnership was created, the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC). It's a voluntary holistic approach, including plans to control sources of pollution while still working to improve farm profitability and sustainability. As stakeholders, whose practices affected millions of lives, farmers (now 91 per cent of them in the watershed) accepted accountability for their actions and got tough with themselves, even to the point of creating easements to delineate which parts of a farm can be used for agricultural production and areas to be under resource protection. They strictly monitor manure and fertilizer storage and application to prevent pollution, as well as oversee a whole farm plan involving all aspects of production and conservation. As Mr. Coombe said: "It is cheaper to prevent than restore." The success of this model would lead us to believe a similar plan would work very well with the Stephenfield reservoir. Over 5,000 rural residents, thousands more in the towns of Carman, Miami, Sperling, St. Claude and Haywood, plus the untold thousands of dairy product consumers throughout Manitoba (many dairy farms access the Stephenfield reservoir) are being affected. Local people worry about the toxin-producing algae blooms in the lake being a bigger threat if drought conditions persist. This information, along with Manitoba Conservation's own study by AXYS Agronomics, just released, should be enough to warrant a moratorium on intensive livestock operations expansion in our watershed. Let's apply that New York model right now. E.coli and high coliform counts have been showing up in most wells in my immediate area. BILL HARRISON Province ignores existing rules At the Feb. 18 Fresh Water Forum, Conservation Minister Steve Ashton extolled the virtues of the Manitoba government in its attempts to save Lake Winnipeg, protect our drinking water and tighten rules for septic fields. The problem is, the words coming from Mr. Ashton do not match the actions of his department. While it is great to have new legislation and wise to have new rules for septic fields, the minister is not ensuring the present rules and regulations are enforced. There are saturated septic fields and leaking holding tanks all over the province. (Check the numbers of boil water advisories in effect in different areas of Manitoba.) Not far from my rural Manitoba home, a property owner lodged a complaint with Conservation Manitoba regarding a foul odour emanating from a saturated septic field in a neighbouring yard. The complainant requested an inspection. It took two weeks for the inspector to arrive, and when she did, she refused to take any soil samples, indicating to the complainant that the foul smell came from the stack of a neighbouring cottage, or a nearby well. The complainant took soil samples and had them tested at his own expense. These tests showed ground contamination from raw sewage. Manitoba is also home to many varieties of domesticated farm animals. In many areas these animals urinate and defecate in our streams, rivers and lakes. The practice of spreading too much manure on small areas of land causes runoff during heavy rainfall onto neighbouring water systems. This all adds to the pollution. Legislation and rules need to be enforced. It is apparent there is a need for more inspectors who will enforce the rules currently in place. If the rules the province already has had been enforced on a permanent, continuing basis, Lake Winnipeg might not be in the shape it is in today. DOUG NEAL Betrayed is distributed
worldwide by CBC International. SASKATOON - One of
the biggest hog producers in the province was planning Big Sky Farms says
a group of farmers wanted to build a $30 million Marilyn Wunder, who
farms near the town, says manure from the barns could She says many of her
neighbours got worried after they spoke to people in "Their schools
are still closing. Their communities have not grown in Wunder says people
are also worried about water contamination from the After a series of
public meetings, more than 600 people signed a petition Big Sky president
Florian Possberg says that this kind of opposition wasn't "Initially it
looked like most of the RM council was very much in favour of Possberg says the
idea got a lot of opposition after environmental "You know people
point to environmental disasters like that and say what's Possberg doesn't think
the project's backers will drop their plans that phone: (306) 652-1275 The Saskatchewan Eco
Network is an Of Hogs and Water (Events in Manitoba)
Hogs victims of surge in production Province urged to ban 'sow stalls' that have become commonplace practice Thursday, March 13th, 2003 By John Youngman AFTER years of promoting intensive hog production as a cornerstone of its economic agenda, the government of Manitoba now bears some responsibility for the appalling state of animal welfare in Manitoba hog barns. Pigs are now the most valuable agricultural commodity in Manitoba. In 2001, Manitoba produced 6.4 million pigs worth $860 million. Manitoba's hog industry is also the fastest growing in Canada, increasing by an average of 16 per cent annually between 1998 and 2001. Such rapid growth has been achieved through intensification and automation -- keeping large numbers of animals in extreme confinement with food and water dispensed automatically. The result has been an animal-welfare horror story of monumental proportions. Female pigs used for breeding purposes (sows) pay the highest price. Sows are the "baby machines" of the hog industry, giving birth to the piglets who eventually wind up as pork. In the old days, farmers used to raise sows in barns where the animals could live and interact in social groups, build nests in straw and give birth naturally. All that has changed. The way sows are forced to live today would shock the sensibilities of the average Manitoban. Sows are kept perpetually pregnant and locked inside tiny metal cages measuring just two feet across, known as "sow stalls." These stalls are so small the mother pig cannot turn around. The floors are slatted concrete. Since there is nowhere to move, the normally fastidious sow must urinate and defecate where she lies, and breathe in fumes laden with ammonia and hydrogen sulfide from the open sewage pits beneath her. Here the poor creature remains virtually motionless -- pregnancy after pregnancy -- for most of her adult life. When her productivity wanes, she is shipped to slaughter. This is no life for any animal, much less a pregnant one. Yet it has become the industry standard in Manitoba. The scale of animal suffering is staggering. Half of Manitoba's 1,668 hog operations breed sows. Some are animal warehouses with over 2,000 sows each. In 2001, a total of 288,400 sows were in production in Manitoba, with the vast majority confined in stalls. And the problem is getting worse as Manitoba's hog industry continues on its course of rapid expansion. Why sow stalls are used is simple: economics. Stalls are a way of cramming large numbers of animals into a small space, thereby reducing building costs. Because sows are individually caged, and food and water are dispensed automatically, caring for the animals requires little in the way of skill from hog barn workers. And less food is required to maintain an animal who barely moves. It does not have to be this way. Compassionate places all over the world are banning sows stalls on animal-welfare grounds. Europe has banned them effective 2013, and they have already been banned in some European countries, including Great Britain, Sweden and Denmark. Closer to home, Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment in November banning sow stalls throughout the state. There are efforts currently under way to ban stalls in Maryland and Iowa. Where sow stalls have been banned, pig farmers are going back to the "old way" of raising sows in groups, known as group housing. Some innovative hog farmers in Manitoba have been successfully group-housing sows for years. However, the vast majority of new sow barns in Manitoba continue to be built with sow stalls, and with the full blessing of government. In Manitoba and the rest of Canada, sow stalls are perfectly legal. This needs to change. Manitoba urgently needs legislation banning sow stalls, for the sake of both the animals and the viability of Manitoba's $860-million hog industry. In 2001, 60 per cent of Manitoba's pork worth $519 million was shipped to 36 countries around the world, including the U.S., Japan, Korea and China. What happens when, as a result of growing public awareness, consumers around the world lose their taste for factory-raised pork? What happens when public opinion eventually renders millions of dollar's worth of Manitoba sow stalls obsolete -- potentially overnight? After spurring on intensive hog production for years, will the Manitoba government be there to bail out hog farmers? Such are the costs of doing nothing. Manitoba would do well to adopt Europe's phase-out date of 2013. This would give Manitoba farmers plenty of time to adjust and would also sit well with our global trading partners. Without legislation banning sow stalls, millions of animals will continue to suffer needlessly and Manitoba pork will one day be as unmarketable as old-growth lumber or sweatshop sneakers.
"We're going to get the run-off and we're going to get the smell," says Bob Wood, RM of Strathcona reeve. "We really don't want it there." Yesterday, the RM of Turtle Mountain reeve and council voted four to three in favour of the Eldorado Pork operation. "I believe in it," says Reeve Wayne Nichol about hog farms. "I see nothing but positive results from them." Nichol has a feeder barn with 5,200 pigs and is a Clover Leaf pork investor. Brian English, agriculture engineer and Technical Review Committee member, says the property's high levels of nitrate nitrogen have raised concern. English also considers the phosphorous content high in parts of the property, an element which poses a threat to surface water. But Nichol says the operation's three feeder barns will not be built until this summer, with the livestock following by November. In the meantime, operation and property owner David Kroeker is expected to dry up the heavy nitrogen and draw out the phosphorous with a seasonal crop. Barley straw cover over the lagoons will also cut down the odor. The RM of Strathcona touches Pelican Lake's eastern edge. "They'll ruin our lake for us," says Wood. Wood was one of an estimated 45 people who attended yesterday's conditional use hearing in Killarney, and did not like what he heard. -- Brandon Sun Catastrophe averted in 2-million-litre spill Wednesday, March 19th, 2003 By Helen Fallding MARBLE RIDGE HUTTERITE COLONY A major spill of hog manure on a Hutterite colony in the northern Interlake was contained Monday before it got to a nearby stream. The Marble Ridge colony's emergency response team swung into action after the above-ground steel tank ruptured, spilling more than two million litres of liquid manure. The team built snow banks that prevented the manure from spilling into a nearby stream, said the colony's business consultant Johann Sigurdson. The property has four metres of impermeable clay that stops the manure from contaminating the groundwater, he said. The spill ruptured propane lines, but the gas did not ignite. There are no wells nearby and the manure did not leave the property. "If you've got to have an accident like this, this is really the way it's got to happen," Sigurdson said. "In this case, we didn't blow anything up and we didn't kill any fish and we haven't contaminated the watershed." Manitoba Conservation was on the site near Hodgson within a couple of hours of the spill. Al Beck, manager of the environmental livestock program, said colony residents spread snow over the manure to soak it up, then spread the snow on nearby fields. This is the last year that larger operations already in existence before stricter 1998 rules will be allowed to spread manure on frozen ground. Spring runoff from winter-spread manure can contaminate streams, but in this case Beck does not anticipate significant environmental problems. The 30-metre diameter tank, worth almost $500,000, stored several months worth of manure. Sigurdson said there are probably about 100 tanks from the same manufacturer in Manitoba, but this was the first to rupture. The company is sending up an expert from Indiana to examine the 11-year-old tank, which was expected to last about 30 years. New manure tanks require permits from Manitoba Conservation, but the Marble Ridge tank was in place before those regulations were in force. Sigurdson contacted media yesterday about the spill, saying the colony "just wanted to make sure the information got out quickly and accurately." Manitoba Conservation has issued the Hutterite colony an order outlining cleanup and monitoring requirements, but Beck said it is too early to say whether any charges could be laid. Last summer, a spill of four million litres of hog manure near MacGregor contaminated two wells on the farm after a too-thin steel tank split open. The hog barn owner was not charged because new regulations did not apply to his older operation. helen.fallding@freepress.mb.ca
Lake Manitoba needs help too: prof U of M scientist warns of neglectbased on politics Tuesday, March 18th, 2003 By Helen Fallding LAKE Manitoba is in the same kind of trouble as Lake Winnipeg, but is being neglected in the rush to save the more populated lake. "I guess there just aren't enough voters living around Lake Manitoba," said University of Manitoba botanist Gordon Goldsborough, who will speak tonight about the problems plaguing Manitoba's lakes. Last month, Conservation Minister Steve Ashton announced a plan to get pollution in Lake Winnipeg back to 1970 levels, but no such plan is in the works for Lake Manitoba. Lake Winnipeg is now routinely monitored, but less research is done on the western lake, which is also home to one of the province's most important fisheries. Goldsborough said the Portage diversion does not bring the same nutrient load to Lake Manitoba as the Red River dumps into Lake Winnipeg, but Lake Manitoba has far more agricultural land around it supplying nutrients from manure and fertilizer. High levels of the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen lead to toxic algae blooms. The director of the university's Delta Marsh Field Station on Lake Manitoba is especially worried about the lakes' marshes, including Netley Marsh at the south end of Lake Winnipeg and the marsh behind Grand Beach. Eighty years ago, Manitoba's businessmen spent their free time hunting in those marshes, but now they're on the golf course, Goldsborough said. That disconnection from the natural world means people are becoming less concerned about environmental problems, he contends. "We often like to pride ourselves in how concerned we are for the environment, but in reality if you look at our deeds, most of them betray a fairly high degree of contempt for the environment." Goldsborough is the last speaker in a three-part series put on by Water Wisdom, a volunteer group dedicated to protecting freshwater sources. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door or at Mountain Equipment Co-op and McNally Robinson's Grant Park bookstore. The talk starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Deaf Centre Manitoba at 285 Pembina Hwy. -- With file from Mary Agnes Welch helen.fallding@freepress.mb.ca Last updated: March 21, 2003 |