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Hog Watch Manitoba News April 2003 |
| Index:
Editorial
- Manure tanks
The Marble Ridge spill, under investigation, was the second of its magnitude in this province. Last July, an above-ground storage tank near MacGregor ripped open, spilling four million litres of liquid manure onto the ground. That spill, which did contaminate ground water, occurred because the tank's rolled-steel casing was too thin, and split under pressure of the contents. It was described as an extraordinary event by Conservation officials at the time. The Doer government raised the standards for manure storage tanks in 1998 and again in 2002, but tanks built prior to 1998 were not affected by the new rules. Monday's incident indicates that the hundreds of tanks that pre-date the tighter rules may also pose a serious risk to the environment. All should be brought up to standard. Such measures would not be cheap. The four-million-litre bin that broke open at Marble Ridge cost $500,000; the 11-year-old tank was expected to last 30 years. No doubt other operators of large hog barns made similar investments and likely are wondering about the guarantees they received, as should Conservation officials who monitor the industry. They should be considering what measures can be taken to prevent further massive spills and leaks, above and below ground, that can make their way into Manitoba's rivers and lakes. Conservation Minister Steve Ashton says the health of Lake Winnipeg, already under pressure from the pollutants running off farm fields, is a priority. He should address the threat posed by older, substandard storage tanks. This may mean old
tanks need to be replaced, or that they be retrofitted and reinforced.
Neither of these is a cheap solution but the continued use of substandard
tanks invites further spills and a much costlier consequence.
High-tech
solution to hog-plant pollution MAPLE Leaf Pork will use high-tech membrane technology to cut river pollution when it adds a second shift to its Brandon plant next year, but it's unclear who will pay for the $15-million addition. The City of Brandon submitted an environmental licence application to the province Wednesday to expand the $12-million wastewater treatment plant built for Maple Leaf in 1999. The city and province agreed to cover capital costs when they were trying to lure Maple Leaf to the city, but the company pays operating expenses. An agreement between the city and Maple Leaf stipulates they will negotiate, without a mediator, how to cover the costs of expanding the treatment plant for a second shift. Former mayor Reg Atkinson was opposed to using any more tax dollars, but under new Mayor Dave Burgess, the issue is under discussion. The new membrane system will allow the company to process 50 per cent more wastewater while cutting the flow of the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen into the Assiniboine River by 20 and 50 per cent respectively. Excessive nutrients, which can cause toxic algae blooms at low water levels, are accumulating in Lake Winnipeg, to which Assiniboine River water eventually flows via the Red River. Conservation Minister Steve Ashton recently promised to reduce pollution in the lake to 1970 levels. A portion of the waste stream will be sent through ultra-filters developed by Ontario-based Zenon Environmental. The fluid will surround kilometres of tiny plastic tubes with microscopic pores that filter out all solids, allowing only pure liquid to seep into the tubes, which empty into the river. A similar Zenon system is used to treat potato plant waste in Idaho. 'Right way' Because of concerns about pollution across the whole watershed, Manitoba Conservation has demanded that Maple Leaf not increase nutrient loading when it adds a second shift. The company's plan goes beyond that requirement in anticipation that rules may eventually become even more strict. "It's the right way to go," said Anne Tennier, Maple Leaf's director of environmental affairs. The company plans to start phasing in a second shift at the hog plant in the fall of 2004. That would eventually add 900 full-time jobs to the 1,300 already there. Marlow Kirton of Economic Development Brandon said the company is having less employee turnover because of new retention programs and does not anticipate problems staffing the next shift. The hog supply to the plant will have to increase by almost three million animals a year. After the new system is in place, Maple Leaf expects to send 4,900 kilograms of nitrogen and 1,370 kilograms of phosphorus per month into the Assiniboine River. To have any impact on Lake Winnipeg, nutrients from all sources will have to be reduced, Brandon University biologist Bill Paton said. helen.fallding@freepress.mb.ca Residents,
cottagers will challenge hog barn A hog barn already approved to house more than 6000 pigs south of Ninette will soon be the focus of a legal challenge. Nearly 100 Pelican Lake cottage owners and permanent residents gathered in the Belmont Community Hall last night and met their lawyer. "You've got a lot of things stacked against you," says Dennis Troniak, a Winnipeg attorney. On March 12, the RM of Turtle Mountain approved a hog operation permit for Eldorado Ranch, five kilometres west of Pelican Lake and nine kilometres south of Ninette. Pelican Lake cottage owners are not the only ones concerned about the operation's run-off into the lake. Residents from the RM of Strathcona, RM of Riverside, RM of Turtle Mountain and Killarney filled the community hall. Last night, a committee of five was formed to be in direct contact with Troniak. Within minutes of being nominated, the five men moved to the meeting's head table. "The only way to fight these guys is to fight them with money," Troniak says. The crowd sits quietly as he estimates a $30'000 bill. That's to get the battle, get in the pit and slug it out," he says. The group will consider first seeking Troniak's legal opinion, which he says will cost a few thousand dollars. The larger figure will include both legal counsel and an independent environmental report. But he admits that as a lawyer, he can only slow the process down."To get that, you need the ammunition and it's not cheap," he says. But although the group will look toward legal avenues to stop the barn before it is constructed, Troniak knows what their best option is. "To say there's a magic bullet, that's not the case," he says, waving his hands on either side of his face. "In most cases, if the political will is there, you've got a good shot. Often it's not what happens in the legal process but in the political process which gets things going." RM of Strathcona reeve Bob Wood wants to apply pressure. "Where you've got to go is to the top and move down," he says, adding the provincial government needs to see the negative environmental issues the farm will create. "We're not against the barn, we're against where it's being put." Balmy Beach South
President David Leech agrees. "The public pressure is where we have
to start." Citizens opposed to Intensive Livestock Operations travel to Fredericton Citizens opposed to the hog factory in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent are taking a petition with thousands of names to the New Brunswick Legislature. In 1999, a 10,000 feeder hog factory was opened in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, NB. At the time, citizens were promised that their concerns were unfounded. They were assured that after a year of operation they would be convinced that the hog factory was in fact a "model farm". Citizens concerns turned out to be as bad, or worse, than they had imagined and opposition continues to today. Twice yearly, or more, the dirt lined hole containing 5.5 million gallons of hog feces and urine is emptied and sprayed on area fields. In the fall of 2000, when questions were raised as to the safety of the trucks carrying the hog feces resulted in a demonstration, a permanent injunction was granted against citizens. This injunction is still in force today. Further demonstrations at the Department of Agriculture building in Bouctouche during the summer of 2001 prompted the Premier to establish an Expert Committee to report publicly on a permanent solution. Although this report recommended that the operation be closed or moved, government chose to ignore the recommendations and instead provided $1.5 million in funding for new technology. The Expert Committee report has never been made public. The results of water quality tests conducted in 2000 and 2001 by the Department of Environment and Local Government were only released after constant badgering by citizens. The 2002 report has still not been released. In 2003, the largest single hog operation east of Manitoba continues to make life miserable for citizens. The nauseous smell both summer and winter has not abated despite the installation of "new technology". And, over 150 citizens believe their health is being affected by "the smell". Studies in the United States confirm a relationship between health complaints and the proximity to hog factories. As a result of these health concerns, citizens have been circulating a petition within the Province demanding that the operation in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent be closed because it is just too close to habitation. The petition also calls on the government to revise the Livestock Operations Act to prevent the establishment of further Intensive Livestock Operations any closer than 20 Km to inhabited areas. Citizens will be bringing
this petition to Fredericton on Thursday 27 March 2003. Hundreds of supporters
are expected to arrive in the capital city by bus early Thursday morning
to meet politicians with their concerns. Tories
water down Walkerton-inspired manure guidelines In a news release issued late yesterday, the Ernie Eves government said small farms will no longer have to comply with new regulations governing the storage and spreading of manure by the previous deadline of 2008. Critics called this an "outrageous" change to a law that was specifically designed in the wake of the tainted water disaster in Walkerton that killed seven people and made 2,300 ill. "It's a major watering down of the bill, which wasn't good enough to begin with, but now to change the date is unconscionable," said NDP environment critic MPP Marilyn Churley (Toronto-Danforth). The release stated that small farms "would not be covered until 2008 at the earliest" and whether or not they will be covered will depend on future recommendations from a provincial advisory committee and the availability of provincial funding. "The original regulation had it 2008 but there was an argument as to whether the small guys could make that deadline," said Derek Nelson, a spokesperson for Agriculture Minister Helen Johns. A government source said this change is the result of lobbying by Tory MPP Bill Murdoch (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound), a small cattle farmer and the MPP for the Walkerton area. The source said Murdoch, the parliamentary assistant to Environment Minister Chris Stockwell, has been aggressively lobbying his own government to exempt small farms from the Nutrient Management Act. "Murdoch won," said Churley. "They (the government) had just better hope that another Walkerton doesn't happen because the date has been put off." Walkerton's water supply became contaminated with a deadly form of E. coli bacteria. The source was identified as manure runoff from a small farm outside town that got into a town well following a torrential downpour. Murdoch disputed suggestions he was trying to weaken the bill, saying all he wanted was to have the advisory committee look into some of the concerns small farmers have. "I'm happy that it's delayed. I had some concerns ... but I was not trying to weaken the bill," he said. Liberal MPP Jim Bradley (St. Catharines) said it is irresponsible for Murdoch, given the position he holds, to try to undo regulations meant to protect water. "This is simply not acceptable," Bradley said, noting that Murdoch's efforts would be better served trying to get financial assistance for small farmers so they can meet their obligations. While the manure legislation passed late last year, the first phase, which applies to new and expanding livestock farms, doesn't take effect until July 1. Existing large livestock farms have until 2005 to comply with the law. In the original law,
small farms were given until 2008 to comply with the guidelines. POLITICS
OF PIGS AND PUTRID POOP PERVADE PEOPLE'S PROTEST IN PROVINCE OF N.B. The story says that residents of Sainte-Marie-de-Kent in southeastern New Brunswick travelled to the provincial capital to show their frustration over the sprawling Metz hog operation on the outskirts of their tiny Acadian community. They presented the Conservative government with a petition signed by 5,400 New Brunswickers calling for closure of the pig farm and a commitment to never again allow a factory hog operation near human settlement. Earlier this year, 45 residents launched a lawsuit alleging water and air contamination, nuisance and trespass. The Metz Farm houses 10,000 pigs at a time, producing a total of 30,000 pigs over the course of a year along with 24 million litres of liquid manure, enough to fill 1,200 tanker trucks. The liquid manure is spread on fields where it's supposed to be absorbed by soil. The spreading of manure has caused a bad smell in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent that has damaged the quality of life for many. It has also raised
concerns about contamination of streams, rivers and groundwater with bacteria
such as deadly E.coli. But a government-commissioned study of the situation
concluded there were no environmental problems, apart from the bad odour. ENVIRONMENTAL
GROUPS USE CLEAN WATER ACT TO SUE U.S.A. GOVERNMENT OVER FACTORY FARMING
RULES The rules, to be implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), would require about 15,500 farms to obtain permits, as opposed 4,500 farms under current regulations. However, they would also let factory farms write their own "nutrient management plans" as well as the part of their permits that covers the spraying of manure on fields--all without federal, state, or public review. The runoff from sprayed
fields is called "agricultural stormwater" under the new regulations,
and therefore exempted from the Clean Water Act. The American Farm Bureau
Federation and the National Chicken Council have filed separate suits
saying the new rules are too strict. CAFOs
and Clean Water However, the environmental impacts of large numbers of animals in concentrated feeding operations are an increasing concern, both for EPA and for the 26 or more states where CAFOs are located. Many individual CAFOs generate as much waste as a small city. Wherever the production of animal waste exceeds the capacity of the land to assimilate it, as it once did on small farms, the surrounding water, land and air will suffer negative environmental impacts. The chief hazards are: * excess nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) in soil and water * disease-bearing microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites) in soil, water and air * excreted antibiotics and hormones (tetracyclines, sulfonamide, estrogens, testosterone) in water To address some of these problems, NRMRL scientists are involved in a number of research approaches to control CAFO pollutants. Here is a sampling of NRMRL research projects involving water quality: Researchers from NRMRL's Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division are studying the impacts of selected swine CAFOs in Oklahoma, with a focus on the transport of potential contaminants (nitrate, antibiotics, estrogens) from land application of manure into groundwater that eventually discharges into area wetlands. They are also working with endocrine-disruptor chemical specialists (see below) to develop a procedure for the analysis of estrogens in groundwater and liquid swine manure." (Contact: S. Hutchins, 580-436-8563) NRMRL is a leader in the management of risks posed by endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) in water, including environmental estrogens discharged by CAFOs. The proceedings of a January 2002 NRMRL workshop on EDC management, including new research on CAFO releases, are available on a CD-ROM*. (Contact: J. Cicmanec, DVM., 513-569-7481) NRMRL's Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division researchers are using an infrared optical remote sensing technology to measure multiple-path hazardous air emissions from a single source. This technology is being used to seasonally monitor widespread hazardous ammonia discharges from swine and poultry operations, and to develop emission inventory factors for CAFO operations. (Contact: Larry Jones, 919-541-7716). Other air quality research evaluates atmospheric deposition of ammonia near and downwind of CAFOs to estimate hazards of deposition in watersheds (Walker); ammonia discharges into waterbodies (Cardoch); and pathogen discharges (Staley); to estimate ecological and water quality hazards. (Contacts: John Walker, 919-541-2288); Lynette Cardoch, 919-541-0809; and Laurel Staley, 513-569-7863) Waterborne diseases from manure runoff have been the suspected causes of epidemics in the U.S., England, Japan and elsewhere since 1989. NRMRL's research on the effects of infectious disease agents in animal manures has led to the development of guidelines for the safe management of CAFO wastes through appropriate storage facilities and good land management practices. A new report summarizing some of this research will be published in Fall 2003**. (Contact: J. Smith, 513-569-7355) Researchers from NRMRL's Sustainable Technology Division are working on ways to design energy-efficient, zero-discharge CAFOs through three approaches: wastewater reuse, air quality, and effective management of biosolids. This group is also working with the Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division to create environmentally sustainable CAFOs by applying life-cycle assessment tools that assess the environmental impacts over the life of a process (CAFO system). (Contact: Johnny Springer, 513-569-7542) Research in the Water Supply and Water Resources Division has evaluated the use of constructed (man made) wetlands for the treatment of CAFO wastewater. Because this relatively new technology is very complex, combining elements of biology, water chemistry and hydraulics, its application, design and performance are more speculative than some other approaches. But the existence of over 100 wetlands systems at 69 CAFO sites in the U.S. and Canada, makes this a potentially recognized treatment for CAFO wastewaters. (Contact: Donald Brown, 513, 569-7630) Beyond Water Research In addition to the
water-related impacts of CAFO wastes outlined here, NRMRL is evaluating
research on CAFO waste management. A Risk Management Evaluation document
now in preparation summarizes the state of current waste management practices
and looks at ways in which NRMRL research can reduce existing problems
noted above. Future work will develop methods to measure the microorganisms
of concern in soils and manures to establish treatment effectiveness.
Other research will address methods for recovering nutrients from wastes
for more efficient reuse. Composting offers the possibility of reducing
the risks from pathogenic organisms, as well as creating a beneficial
soil conditioner. Another active area of research is in recovering the
energy value of manure as methane. Many farms generate enough methane
to provide all of their needs for electricity. Animal wastes can also
be used to generate a manufactured soil by mixing the waste with dredged
and excavated material. The manufactured soil can then be used to recondition
land surfaces damaged by forest fires, mining, or heavy erosion. By viewing
animal waste as a potential resource, creative research can develop ways
to reduce fossil fuel use, improve nutrient management, and create commercial
products. (Contact: John Haines, 513-569-7446) Has the conflict in the Middle East taken attention away from environmental issues at home? It has made it easier for large corporations to operate without public scrutiny and enabled them to make deals that are scandalous. The fossil-fuel industry, and other commodity industries, are given much freer rein to operate. I’ll give you
an example.Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the world, invented
a way of raising pigs in large factory farms, which creates huge amounts
of pollution, impoverishes farmers, and distorts markets. By educating
the public, politicians and press in other countries, like Poland, we've
been able to stop Smithfield from expanding into those countries. But
as a result of President Bush's efforts to bring Poland into the coalition
against Iraq, there was a $12.5-billion loan guarantee. Attached to that
guarantee were a number of requirements that forced Poland to accept U.S.
corporate presence-including Smithfield. Government awards $30,000 for study WINNIPEG, MB * April 3, 2003 * The Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council (MRAC) has awarded the University of Manitoba $30,000 to measure the employment and income impacts of hog production in the Pembina Valley region. Being a good corporate citizen is important to the Manitoba hog industry. As the industry grows, so does the need for accurate analysis of its impact on Manitoba communities. Decision-makers, including government and rural municipalities, require precise information to make informed decisions about allocation of land for use for hog production and expansion. Other partners providing financial and in-kind support to this $132,000 project include the Pembina Valley Regional Development Corporation, Manitoba Pork, the University of Manitoba and Manitoba Agriculture and Food. The eight municipalities evaluated will be Dufferin, Montcalm, Thompson, Stanley, Rhineland, Roland, Morris, and McDonald. "This study will provide a valuable tool for Manitoba government and municipal decision makers on policies regarding the expansion of hogs in these areas," said Agriculture and Agri-Food Minster Lyle Vanclief. "Hog producers know their operations must be environmentally sound if they are to continue to grow and thrive." "We are very eager to determine the economic effects of hog expansion in these municipalities," says Dr. Jim MacMillan, University of Manitoba, "Decision makers need the resources to make choices that positively affect their region." Dr. MacMillan continued, "This information finding has been identified as a "high priority" by the Manitoba Regional Development Corporation, the Pembina Valley Municipality, Manitoba Pork, Manitoba Agriculture and Food, Keystone Agricultural Producers, and Manitoba Intergovernmental Affairs, all of whom have agreed to participate regularly as committee members." The study will develop modules to summarize the economic impacts for these communities based upon the enterprise size and type, as well as the size of the community. "In addition, Peter Williams of DataLink will work with the municipalities and Manitoba Pork to create maps of all existing hog operations in each region, a jump-start to a provincial hog operation map," Dr. MacMillan says. Seminars will be held in the Pembina Valley region to discuss the study results. MRAC continues to fund innovative and sustainable agricultural projects to facilitate rural development in Manitoba. MRAC is funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (CARD) Fund. Since 1995, CARD has
awarded $60 million annually to initiatives fostering growth, employment
and competitiveness within the agriculture and agri-food industry. Manitoba's
share is 1.785 million per year. RM
defeats hog barn rules By Eliza Barlow
"I am very disappointed with them not reviewing the bylaws," says English, a farmer and member of the Concerned Daly Ratepayers, a citizens' group. "We've been working on this for a year now, and where are we? Below square one." In a 4-3 vote at a meeting of the Rural Municipality of Daly council yesterday, council defeated a motion brought forward by Coun. Ruth Pryzner, who was a member of the concerned ratepayers group before being elected to council in October. The motion asked council to reverse decisions it made last year to shelve the set of proposed rules, drafted by a group of citizens, on intensive livestock operations, now known among Daly residents simply as "ILOs." The rules - contained in a bylaw - would ban sewage lagoons, increase the size of setbacks between intensive livestock operations and houses and would require performance bonds for the owners of hog barns and other large-scale developments. The rules were given first reading on April 2, 2002. They were overwhelmingly supported by citizens, but opposed by a handful of producers and several government and industry representatives, at an emotionally-charged public hearing held May 7. Council opted May 15 not to give the proposed rules a second reading, to the dismay of the Concerned Daly Ratepayers. And now, they are feeling that same dismay all over again. "We had hoped that with a new council and a bit of distance to go back to where we were on the 8th of May, 2002," Joe Dolecki, who was representing Concerned Daly Ratepayers at yesterday's meeting, said following the vote. Dolecki says he wanted to turn time back to a point where a second reading of the rules would again be possible. "The municipal government had a unique opportunity to do something right and they didn't do it. They simply blew us off and that's really unfortunate." Reeve Evan Smith, who voted yesterday against Pryzner's motions, says he will continue to vote against motions to reverse prior decisions on the ILO issue. "We've carried on with the decisions that were made last year to deal with the bylaws we have in place," Smith said following the meeting. "We have to be open for business. I have no problems living with the conditional use permit process and with the provincial guidelines and regulations." But Pryzner says the provincial regulations are not adequate, and insists the proposed set of rules be given another look. "What more can you ask for?" she told council. "The community put together a package of bylaws. It reflects the majority of people's opinion." She repeated her stance following the meeting. "We have a right to self-determination," she said, adding she has long had concerns about possible environmental effects of hog barns. "Once you ruin your water supply you don't get it back." Pryzner says the hog barn issue has "fractured" the community of Daly and will continue to do so until it's resolved. English agrees. "The community has been divided. We have members not speaking to members - it's just very hard to take." The ratepayer group is to discuss what its next step will be at its next general meeting on April 15. "We'll fight it as far as we have to, as far as we can," says English, of his personal position. "I'm willing to stand behind any suggestion as long as it's within the law." Dolecki says the group has decided not to release its membership numbers. "The group decided not to release the membership list and the numbers, and that's not because there aren't very many of us. They just don't want to do it." ebarlow@brandonsun.com Intentional Dumping of Hog Waste THE INTENTIONAL DUMPING
OF HOG WASTE INTO THE RIVERS AND STREAMS OF EASTERN NC IS TAKING PLACE
AT A LEVEL NOT SEEN SINCE THE SPRING PLANTING SEASON OF 2000. THAT GROSSLY
POLLUTING EVENT CLOSELY FOLLOWED THE FLOODING CONDITIONS OF HURRICANE
FLOYD. TO SEE A FEW OF THE MORE THAN 2,000 PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN SINCE MARCH
3, 2003 CLICK HERE: http://www.waterkeeper.org/PBK/hog_campaign.doc. IN
THE SUN JOURNAL ARTICLE OF TODAY (SEE BELOW), PORK INDUSTRY OFFICIALS
STATE THAT LAGOONS ARE FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED AND THAT WATER QUALITY
IS BEING PROTECTED. THIS IS NONSENSE AND THEY KNOW IT. LEADERS IN THE
PORK INDUSTRY, THEIR LAWYERS AND LOBBYISTS MAKE STATEMENTS THAT ARE INTENDED
TO PROTECT INDUSTRY LEADERS AND THEIR PROFITS. FORTUNATELY, THE PUBLIC
AND MEDIA KNOW BETTER. IMPORTANTLY, MORE AND MORE CONTRACT GROWERS ARE
STEPPING FORWARD AND ADMITTING THAT LAGOONS AND SPRAYFIELDS WERE NOT ORIGINALLY
INTENDED TO FUNCTION SUBJECT TO STRICT AGRONOMICAL RULES AND THEY WILL
NEVER ADEQUATELY PROTECT WATER QUALITY WHEN RAINFALL EXCEEDS THE AVERAGE.
THEY ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE LAGOONS AND SPRAYFILEDS SYSTEM MUST BE
REPLACED-NOT MODIFIED AND RENAMED-BUT REPLACED. WHAT THE ATTACHED ARTICLE
REPORTS IS MERELY THE "TIP OF THE LAGOONBERG". WHAT LIES BENEATH
AND REMAINS UNTOLD IN THIS REPORT AND OTHERS IS THE MASSIVE DUMPING AND
CHEATING THAT IS TAKING PLACE AT THIS TIME IN AN EFFORT TO FLUSH THE CONTENTS
OF LAGOONS DOWNSTREAM TO OUR FRAGILE ESTUARIES. ILLEGAL DRAIN PIPES DISCHARGING
TO SURFACE WATERS, SPRAYING IN HEAVY WIND CONDITIONS THAT RESULTS IN AIRBORNE
DISCHARGES OF TOXIC HOG WASTE TO ADJOINING PROPERTIES, SPRAYING ONTO SATURATED
FIELDS SO AS TO POND THE WASTE AND CAUSE IT TO RUN OFF OF SPRAYFIELDS
AND INTO DITCHES THAT ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO OUR RIVERS AND STREAMS,
THIS IS WHAT IS TAKING PLACE AND IT IS SHAMEFUL. NORTH CAROLINA DOES NOT
HAVE THE RESOURCES TO ENFORCE THE LAW PERTAINING TO ILLEGAL HOG WASTE
DUMPING EXCEPT IN THE MOST EGREGIOUS CASES. THIS HAS BEEN ADMITTED IN
WRITING. AS A RESULT, THE INDUSTRY IS GETTING CAUGHT IN AN EXTREMELY SMALL
NUMBER OF CASES. ] NEW BERN SUN JOURNAL
Run Date: 04/09/2003 Nicer weather alleviated
some of the problems higher than allowed levels in hog waste lagoons in
Eastern North Carolina, state officials said. However, with expected rainfall
all week this week, the problems may come back. "It'd be safe to
say that this rain is not going to help the situation," said Rick
Shiver, regional supervisor for the Wilmington office of the N.C. Division
of Water Quality. Between March 25 and April 4 the number of lagoons that
were above the allowed freeboard of 19 inches fell from 174 to 156 in
the Wilmington District, which includes Carteret, Onslow, Pender and Duplin
counties, Shiver said. Freeboard is the space between the level of waste
and the top of the lagoon. Notices of intent
for enforcement thus far have been sent only to the Byard Kornegay farm
as DWQ has been tied up with investigating new complaints, Shiver said.
Notices regarding discharges since Feb. 4 have been sent to the following
farms in the Washington region, Hardison said: Hog
Barn Holiday allowed by Province April 11, 2003 CASSELMAN. Residents in Nation Township find themselves faced with 3 mega hog barns that are about to be built in their neighbourhood. Quebec, heeding the advice of the Canadian Medical Association, has put a moratorium on the building of hog barns in that province. So hog producers have rushed into Eastern Ontario to assemble the building permits that will enable them to be exempt from the requirements that may eventually be posed by the Nutrient Management Act. "It is a hog barn holiday," says Maureen Reilly, Water Campaign Co-ordinator for the Sierra Club of Canada. "These barns have not yet been built, yet they are exempt from the sitting requirements, the environmental assessment provisions, they can locate essentially where they like. Hog barn factories have months to assemble building permits without any constraints from the Ontario Ministry of Environment or the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture." Sierra Club of Canada is opposed to building the barns without an environmental impact assessment. "This Nutrient Management legislation is an environmental joke." says Andrea Peart, Health and the Environment Campaign Coordinator at the Sierra Club of Canada. "The Province is trying to make people believe they have done something to protect the environment. They have done nothing to help manage these massive pathogen producing facilities." Rural residents and farmers alike have opposed mega hog barn facility in provinces across the country. Citing negative economic effects, destroying rural jobs and tourism, producing poor food quality riddled with antibiotics, appalling working conditions, and environmental degradation; rural residents are desperate for urban people to support their cause. “We’re not just talking about the health damaging odours, we’re talking about ecoli in our water. We were promised safe drinking water and that Walkerton would never happen again. We know that if something isn’t done to stop these mega hog barns, we will be the next Walkerton.” expains Kelli LeBlanc co-ordinator of Farms Yes Factories No, a local community group fighting the proposed Intensive Livestock Operations. Residents and farmers of Alfred, Plantaginet and Nation municipalities, a primarily rural area east of Ottawa, are holding a demonstration on April 12th (this Saturday) at 10AM at the Nation Municipal building in Casselman. Information: Maureen Reilly, Sierra Club of Canada, 416 922-4099 Andrea Peart, Sierra Club of Canada, 613 241-4611 (Français/English) Kelli LeBlanc, Alfred Plantaginet resident, 613 673-2699 Lise Clark, résident de Nation 613 673-4473 (Français)
A) What is an Intensive Livestock Operation? There is no exact definition for an intensive livestock operation (ILO), simply characteristics that distinguish themselves from farms. Most “large scale farms” are actually ILOs, for they have tendencies for: ? producing massive amounts of manure and spreading it on a small area of land ? absentee ownership ? money going out of state or province ? corporate control ? contracted land The feeding operation will usually do all it can to cut costs while not compromising quality. This involves use of anti-biotics, elimination of hay in crates, and cramped living conditions for more livestock and limited animal movement. It is essentially run as a factory. B) Environmental Factors and Health Impacts The major environmental
factors related to ILOs are land degradation, and water and air pollution,
the latter leading to many threats to human health. The main problem is
liquid manure, and the large amount of it produced. Groundwater leaking,
and water run-off are common because of manures over saturation of the
soil, during spreading, and lagoon leakage. The waste from hog factories is spread on crops, almost exclusively on monoculture corn crops, for corn requires more nutrients than other crops (such as oats or soybeans). However, the amount of fertilizer applied to corn crops by hog factories is excessive, for corn is very inefficient in absorbing nitrates. Also the ammonia and phosphorus in hog manure is only partly absorbed by the crops, with the remainder building up in the soil causing acidification and eutrophication of the land. ? Air quality Poor air quality, and odours are a result of ILOs, and can be linked directly to animal waste. The manure storage facility, the hog factory, and the spreading of manure are the three main sources of air pollution and odour. Every single hog in the hog house dumps over 10 pounds of urine and feces per day, or almost 2 tons per hog per year. Hog waste is usually stored in open-air lagoons where large numbers of odours are released into the air; more than forty different compounds have been identified in the air from livestock manure, including alcohols, acids, phosphates, sulphides, nitrates, ammonia, methane, and carbon dioxide. ? Health effects The health effects of poor air quality from hog factories are numerous and vary in severity. Many studies list effects such as headaches, upset stomach, sleep disturbances, and depression, and illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis have also been found to both increase in occurrence, and in severity due to both odours, but more significantly dust particles emitted from the factory. Add to this the pesticides that are usually applied on adjacent monoculture crops, there is quite the outpour of volatile compounds. ? Water quality As the number one health concern, especially after the tragedy in Walkerton Ontario, water quality is put at great risk by hog factories. The spreading of liquid manure on the crops, as has been stated above, cannot be fully absorbed by the plants, and this runoff leaks into the groundwater, and open water sources. Nitrates are toxic to many organisms from algae to fish, also viruses such as E. coli can develop and contaminate freshwater sources. C) Economic Factors Dr. William Weida, Professor of Economics at Colorado College, has looked extensively at economic factors, in relation to ILOs, and has stated that a study done over a 16 year period covering 1,106 towns and cities showed communities with ILOs had a 55% decline in economic growth . This is caused by many factors including decline in real estate value, air and water pollution, health impacts, and ultimately depopulation in the community. However, as Weida states this is exactly what owners of ILOs want, because “those rural residents who are affected by the pollution created by the ILO, and who are likely to complain loudly as a result, are nuisances to be avoided or removed as expeditiously as possible” . These operations use and hire very few people and most often import those who run their facilities, and large-scale industrial livestock facilities are most likely to purchase their supplies from far-away distributors, bypassing local providers . Many other additional costs exist such as increased road traffic (including rail), increased accidents, increased road repairs, increased health costs, increased environmental monitoring and a decrease in tourism . All of this must be swallowed by the taxpayer, while, as Weida has found, “the ILO makes every effort to pay as few taxes as possible” . The primary problem with allowing ILOs to exist is the lack of monitoring by government. In most provinces ILOs are to follow specific regulations, usually to do with manure storage, and treatment. However, these regulations are often broken and without monitoring, the regulations are essentially useless. The amount of tax payers money necessary to properly monitor across a whole province would be enormous, and has not, nor will it ever happen. With Provincial support of ILOs, a loss of democratic control at the local level has developed across Canada. In Ontario, for example, the new Nutrient Management Act states that no by-law can supersede the Act. This is more than disappointing to communities whose residents are 100% anti-ILO, but have no control over what moves in. Would a city or village accept an influx of 50,000 people without a sewage treatment facility? The answer is obviously NO. This raises an important point: why let a polluting industry in when it is not wanted by locals and is guaranteed to create countless negative effects? D) Social Considerations Another thing to consider, with regards to ILOs are the workers within the industry. ILOs are not healthy
for the workers physical, as well as mental health. In fact, some jobs
in a slaughter-house have been described as “arguably…the
worst job in the United States” . There are known health risks related
to the continuous breathing of the air within the confinement area’s,
as well as simple accidents involving the machinery that is present. Health
problems cost tax payer’s money as well as lost wages for the worker. RAINS
FILL HOG-WASTE LAGOONS CLOSE TO BRIM IN NORTH CAROLINA April
10, 2003 Hundreds of N.C. hog-waste lagoons are, according to this story, nearly full as rain continues to fall this week, prompting renewed complaints of weak enforcement of state water-quality laws. Rick Dove, a longtime critic of the hog industry and southeastern representative of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a national group was cited as saying he hasn't seen conditions so dire since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, which flooded 50 farms, drowning 30,500 hogs and bursting three lagoons. The story reports that by Monday, the N.C. Division of Water Quality said, 345 of the state's 4,000 lagoons were within 19 inches of full. Four were within a foot of the lagoon top, which heightens the danger that a dike will rupture. The story says that no lagoons have burst. But animals have been removed from nine farms. The story says that Dove, who has flown three to four days a week since March, reports problems to the N.C. Division of Water Quality. The division, which relies on public complaints and self-reporting by hog farmers to identify problems, has flown only six times this year. N.C. Pork Council spokeswoman Beth Anne Mumford was cited as saying the group encourages its 2,700 members to work with state water-quality staff members when lagoons get too full, adding, "While we are concerned, the systems are operating the way they ought to be operating." Liquid hog wastes held in open lagoons are sprayed onto fields planted with grass or other crops that absorb its nitrogen. But as rain fills the lagoons, desperate hog growers sometimes spray more wastes than the plants can absorb.
Animal production
companies like Cargill have been severely criticized in the past few years
by the World Health Organization and American Medical Association for
diminishing the effectiveness of human antibiotics by feeding them to
animals to speed production. "Factory Farms unnecessarily endanger
human health by giving antibiotics to animals to keep them growing and
productive in a deplorable living environment," said Diane Halverson
of the Animal Welfare Institute. "Our hope is that by bringing together
doctors, scientists, humane family farmers and local residents, we can
find a solution to maintain the health of animals while keeping our antibiotics
working." Saturday's tour follows a recent report by Sierra Club
and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, "Poultry on Antibiotics:
Hazards to Human Health," which sampled supermarket poultry and found
that a majority tested positive for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The
findings suggest that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are finding their
way from the farm to the "We are seeing an alarming rise in antibiotic-resistant infections," said Dr. Jon Rosenblatt, a Microbiologist and Infectious Disease Specialist from Rochester, MN. "And since factory farms unnecessarily feed 16 million pounds of antibiotics annually to chicken, pigs, turkeys and cows as growth promoters and to substitute for unsanitary conditions, we can only assume that animal agriculture is contributing to the disturbing increase." The Tour de Manure is intended to not only show participants the problems caused by factory farms but to explore alternatives to raising animals on routine antibiotics and to prove that the industrialization of agriculture is neither necessary nor inevitable. Participants will visit sustainable farms that demonstrate how family farmers can treat animals humanely and don't need to risk human health with antibiotics while still making a profit. "It's reassuring
to see that there are still a number of family farmers that don't pollute
the environment, don't treat animals like mechanical units and produce
tasty products that don't risk human health," said Sarah Wilson,
a Minneapolis resident on the Tour de Manure. "The next time I go
shopping, I will certainly look to support family farmers that don't abuse
my medicines." Speakers on the 'Tour de Manure' will address a variety
of issues including: The History of the Industrialization of Agriculture,
The Threat of Antibiotics entering the environment through Manure Runoff,
Humane Farming, Alternatives to Factory Farming and How Consumers can
support Family Farmers at the Grocery. The tour is sponsored by the Sierra
Club and co-sponsored by the Animal Welfare Institute, the Feedlot Front
and Environmental Technology Studies at Carleton College. CCNB Calls for Moratorium on Licensing New Mega-Hog Operations Until Regulated under New Brunswick's Clean Environment Act The Conservation Council of New Brunswick has joined the Canadian Medical Association and the National Farmers Union in calling for a moratorium on the licensing of new mega-hog operations. In a March 19th letter to Rodney Weston, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Conservation Council asked him to place a moratorium on licensing new mega-hog operations, defined as those that house more than 3000 animals at a single, site until they are regulated under New Brunswick's Clean Environment Act. "The magnitude of the environmental threat posed by large-scale confined feeding operations for hogs is such that they should operate with approvals under the Act's Water and Air Quality Regulations ," said David Coon, Policy Director for the Conservation Council. "We took the identical position on large scale confined salmon feeding operations in the salmon aquaculture industry more than a decade ago," added Coon. Salmon aquaculture is now subject to approvals under the Clean Environment Act regulations. The Conservation Council is concerned about air pollution and water pollution risks from the further development of large scale hog operations in New Brunswick. Major air pollutants from mega-hog operations include ammonia and hydrogen sulphide. Water pollutants include nitrogen, phosphorous, heavy metals and bacteria. "The government has the opportunity to ensure that this super-sized approach to raising hogs is properly regulated before anymore mega-barns come to our province," said Coon. The Conservation Council has written Environment Minister Kim Jardine to ask that she apply the permitting process of the Clean Environment Act to any new large-scale hog production operations. Agriculture Canada
has concluded that there is a lack of cost-effective waste management
technologies and sound methods of land-based manure management for such
mega-hog operations. "Bigger is not better", said David Coon
of the Conservation Council. "Large scale hyper-intensive livestock
operations are just not compatible with the pursuit of a sustainable agriculture
and food system. They contribute to the shrinking of the farm community
by requiring fewer farm families to produce our food," said Coon.
The Conservation Council supports the maintenance of the family farm as
the basis of agriculture in New Brunswick, and supports the expansion
of orderly marketing and supply management systems necessary to sustain
family farms. It promotes greater food self-reliance in the Maritimes
and the consumption of locally produced, preferably organic, farm products
to provide New Brunswick farmers with local markets. GOV.
EASLEY CALLS FOR 4-YEAR EXTENSION OF HOG MORATORIUM "Let me be perfectly clear, this moratorium is not just about no more lagoons," he said. "It is about providing the time to convert the existing lagoon and spray system to a new, more environmentally sustainable system." First enacted in August 1997, the moratorium on new and expanded swine farms applies to operations with 250 or more hogs. Only 16 swine farms across the state are employing innovative technology. The ban has been extended twice previously and is slated to expire Sept. 1. Easley said the 4-year extension would allow the state, researchers and hog farmers needed time "to ensure that new technologies that have been identified through the process set out in the Smithfield agreement can be tested and proven in the field. Once this is done, we must move aggressively to conversion." While serving as Attorney General in 2000, Easley reached an historic agreement with Smithfield Foods Inc. that set the stage for phasing out open-air lagoons and sprayfields in North Carolina. The company and its subsidiaries agreed to pay $15 million to N.C. State University for new technology development and $50 million over the next 25 years toward environmental improvements and compliance monitoring. North Carolina has
approximately 2,300 large-scale swine operations, those with 250 or more
head. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources inspects the
facilities twice annually, provides technical assistance and oversees
compliance. Mitchell's,
union agree to mediation Labour Minister Deb Higgins asked the company late Wednesday and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 248P, which represents 1,300 Mitchell's workers, to continue bargaining through a mediator. The mediator will be provided by the Department of Labour. Talks will commence on Monday. "We're surprised that it happened and happy that it happened," said Bryan Neath, assistant to the national director with UFCW. He said there has been no indication the company will move from its original offer of wage increases. "All we know is we're back at the table," he said, adding a news blackout on details of the mediation will be imposed. Fifty-four per cent of voting workers rejected a company offer Monday. The main obstacle to a deal is wages, according to Neath. Mitchell's had offered a four-year deal paying senior workers an immediate 30-cent hourly wage increase. Junior workers would get $1 an hour over the contract. But a 10-year packaging employee at Mitchell's said it's the company's demand to drop a guarantee of 37 hours per week for new workers that stung the membership. "We have to look out for our young people," said the employee speaking on condition of anonymity. "Their chance of making a half-decent living would be diminished." The potential of a long strike at Mitchell's, which is Saskatchewan's only major pork packer, would send an economic shockwave through the province's hog industry. Every week, Walter Yates trucks 10-25 pigs to an assembly yard, where they're destined for Mitchell's Gourmet Foods in south Saskatoon. With a selling price of $125 per hog, the deliveries make up a substantial portion of the Yates family farm's income. But a strike at Mitchell's would place that income in jeopardy for Yates and 800 other Saskatchewan hog farmers. "If it goes on for any length of time, it's going to be hard," said Yates, who runs a small 60-sow operation near Gull Lake. For every day of a strike, 3,500 hogs -- Mitchell's production speed -- would stay on the farm. Producers who truck hogs to Brandon or Red Deer would be out of pockket an estimated $5 per hog in transportation costs, said Neil Ketilson, general manager of hog-producer association Sask Pork. Trucking south of the border is twice as expensive. If there is a strike, Ketilson estimates hog farmers would lose between $100,000 and $250,000 in transportation costs every week of a strike. There has never been a strike or lockout in 65 years of organized labour at the plant. © Copyright 2003
The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) Valley Hog Farm Pleads Guilty to Environmental Charges KENTVILLE, N.S., February 17, 2003 - B & N Farms Limited of Cambridge, Nova Scotia pled guilty to environmental charges in Provincial Court in Kentville today. Environment Canada laid the charges against B & N Farms Limited (operating as Nova Genetics) for violating section 36(3) of the federal Fisheries Act. A provincial court judge ordered B & N Farms to pay a fine of $6,000, and also to contribute $ 6,000 to the federal government’s Environmental Damages Fund. The conviction relates to a manure spill that entered a brook at B & N Farms Limited’s Tory Lane hog operation between July 7 and July 11, 2002. Liquid manure from one of the company's storage lagoons overflowed into a ditch, and then discharged into the brook Officers from the Kentville office of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Environment responded to the initial incident and assisted in the subsequent investigation. Environment Canada is very concerned about the potential negative environmental effects of agricultural operations and the department works on an ongoing basis with provincial Environment departments and the farming industry to encourage farmers to use the best possible management practices to limit these impacts. Under the federal Fisheries Act it is an offense to deposit, or to permit the deposition of, a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish or into any place under any conditions where the substance may enter such water. Liquid pig manure is extremely harmful to fish because of its high ammonia content. Environment Canada's Enforcement staff investigates potential pollution offences under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) and the federal Fisheries Act. They help ensure that companies, government employees, and the general public comply with legislation and regulations that protect Atlantic Canada's environment. The money awarded
to the Environmental Damages Fund as a result of this successful prosecution
will be used to fund local environmental projects. The Fund ensures polluters
take responsibility for their actions, and gives courts a way to guarantee
that money from pollution fines and settlements is directly invested to
repair the actual harm done by the pollution. DUTCH
VET'S DEATH LINKED TO BIRD FLU VIRUS The story says that the World Health Organisation has warned that the disease could turn into a human epidemic, at a time when deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is sweeping the globe. The Dutch have been grappling for a month to contain the bird flu outbreak that has spilled into Belgium and is nearing Germany, amid concerns that bird and human flu could mix in pigs and produce a mutation that humans have no resistance against. Scientists stressed on Saturday that preventative measures were in place, including guidelines for at-risk workers to take medication against bird flu and human flu. Transport restrictions have been introduced for pigs after several animals were found to have antibodies to bird flu, and millions of birds have been slaughtered. The veterinarian who died had not taken anti-viral medication. A related story says
that a second outbreak of the highly contagious poultry disease bird flu
may have hit Belgium, although Belgian authorities will only be able to
confirm the new outbreak in a couple of days, once all relevant tests
have been carried out. Clean water rules clash with costs THOMAS WALKOM Three years ago, seven people died in Walkerton after cow manure got into their drinking water. You'd think it would be a simple matter for a First World government to solve that problem. Apparently, it isn't. The Ontario government's drinking water strategy has stalled over the manure issue. Farm lobbies are deeply suspicious of enforceable regulations to control the storage and spreading of manure. Anxious to avoid offending farmers during the run-up to an election, Queen's Park has backtracked on its key post-Walkerton promise to protect drinking water at source. For farmers, the problem is money. Farmers typically face unstable world prices and small profit margins. Factory farming — keeping hundreds of pigs or chickens in small, confined barns — is one way to cut costs. But this form of livestock farming also creates vast quantities of manure. An intensive pig operation can create as much manure as a medium-sized town. But though towns treat their sewage, intensive hog operations typically do not. Instead, they spread raw manure, or what the farm experts like to call "nutrients," on the land as fertilizer. In his two-volume report into the Walkerton tragedy, Justice Dennis O'Connor called on the provincial government to regulate land use near drinking water sources. Cow manure laced with a virulent strain of E. coli had seeped into the Walkerton drinking water supply. O'Connor made the sensible point that if this hadn't happened — if the drinking water source had been protected — people would not have died. The government did pass a bill last year to do just that. But the Nutrient Management Act was an empty law, saying that the province had the right to make regulations about manure — but without spelling these regulations out. Since then, Queen's Park has been fighting a series of desultory skirmishes with farm lobbies. Farmers argued that they didn't want environment ministry inspectors telling them what to do with their animal dung. They said that if they had to deal with bureaucrats at all, they'd prefer to talk to farm-friendly civil servants in the agriculture ministry. Cattle ranchers argued that it was unrealistic to ask them to stop their livestock from defecating in the streams. That would require fences, they said, and fences cost money. As well, there were wheels within wheels. For the larger intensive operations, provincial regulation is a plus since, once in place, it will supersede any municipal attempt to control factory farming. So far, roughly 70 rural councils have drafted bylaws — many of them tougher than proposed provincial rules — to control large-scale livestock operations. For many smaller livestock farmers, however, municipal regulation is currently less of a problem. So their interest lay in delaying implementation of provincial rules. All farmers, big and small, demanded compensation. If they were going to change their manure practices to protect drinking water supplies, they wanted other taxpayers to help pay the cost. The government didn't give up the game entirely. "If you're a bad apple, watch out," Agriculture Minister Helen Johns warned farmers. But in the end, Queen's Park quietly folded. Of the roughly 30,000 livestock operations in Ontario, only 1,000 — the very biggest — will be covered by new regulations due to come into effect July 1. Hog operations with fewer than 3,600 market hogs (or 2,000 sows) will be exempt. So will beef cattle operations with fewer than 300 animals. Provincial regulations governing the remaining 29,000 livestock operations are to be put on hold indefinitely while the matter is studied. The prickly matter of requiring ranchers to fence streams is not addressed in the new regulations. It, too, is be decided later, at some unspecified date. And on the crucial issue of enforcement, Environment Minister Chris Stockwell has promised that his inspectors (the ones with legal authority to enforce regulations) will be called in only as a last resort. Instead, farmers in violation of the rules will be "educated" on proper manure management by agriculture ministry officials who possess no authority to lay charges. The farm lobbies still aren't happy. Smaller livestock operators fret that even though they are home free on the provincial front, municipalities may now try to regulate their manure practices (although, even now, municipal bylaws affecting agriculture may be overruled by an appointed provincial body). Others worry about the cost. It's fine to say a farmer should keep his liquid pig feces in a concrete vat to prevent pathogens from leaking into the groundwater. But who's going to pay for the concrete? All in all, it's been a classic human and political story: Great tragedy followed by public uproar and, ultimately, a grossly inadequate solution to a real problem. Everyone is in favour
of clean drinking water. No one is in favour of killing people. But when
it comes down to doing something that might cost someone money —
well, that's a different matter.
Last updated: April 22, 2003 |