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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-12-08, Page 31of incentive or prommtions It urges new ideas be in- troduced with a minimum, of regulations and maximum use of education and extension programs. Research into pollution At a meeting in l3rucefield ear- ly in November Dick Franks, a researcher with the Ontario ministry of agriculture and food at the University of Guelph, recommended the federation look into the proposed IJC agree- ment. "Some people may try to push things into it that may be dif- ficult for you to live with," he Okay boys, let's get started He shoots..,and probably fell flat .0 "4"'"Ierstseresk The novice all-stars in tiction Fred jumps on a loose puck Bring that puck ever here' OPEN UNTIL 9 PAC Monday to Friday, hoginning Monday, bec. 12. ri24e0t1 WM C:M04:11APki'q41WlitMter.' CEIRISTNIAS HOURS Fallow the leader Times-Advocgte, December 8, 1 7 Pugs 31 Huron farmers push for pollution and erosion control documented, he said. Ships have collected samples in a grid pattern across the lakes and the information is all available. PLUARG's purpose now is to come up with a "balance sheet" showing where everything is coming from. He added that in his position the public meetings are premature since: "We don't have everything nailed down yet and won't until next year; maybe not even then." It is difficult to hammer out ways to curb pollu- tion until one knovir's just where it is coming from and in what quan- tities. he explained. He said the pollution problem in the Great Lakes is not so bad as in the Medite?ranean. which has no flow into the major oceans. The flow from the lakes does eventually reach the Atlan- tic but water that starts out at Thunder Bay may take 100 years to reach Halifax, he said; it picks up a lot of pollutants along the way. Sediment and Phosphorus Sedimentation and phosphorus pollution are two of the problems being looked at that relate close- ly to agriculture. Sampling is going on in every stream delivering more than 0.5 per cent of the total volume of water front the Canadian side. A total of 150-200 streams, Mr. Franks said, and though details on sediment in the Grand and Maitland rivers are not yet available they will be shortly. Although PLUARG is only in- terested in soil entering the lakes, sedimentation there is just the tip of the iceberg, he noted. The soil in the streams represents 10 per cent or less of the soil moving around on the farms, he claimed. Soil is com- ing off the high ground and being deposited in the valleys with the consequence that arable land is being lost. The major issue. he emphasiz- ed, is trying to keep the soil in the fields to maintain production for coming generations; sedi- ment in the lakes is a minor issue by comparison, Phosphorus pollution is related to erosion since clays, the finest particles which are the first to erode, are also the richest in Phosphorus. This selective ero- Whelan says Canadian getting best food value Farmers in Huron County are Vitally concerned with problems of pollution and erosion and want to see them brought under con- trol, They are equally concerned, however, that the proposed solu- tion not make the business of agriculture any less viable. These interlocking positions form the core of the Huron Federation of Agriculture's ifIFA) brief to PLUARG (Pollu- tion from Land Use Activities Reference Group), a group studying problems of pollution in the Great Lakes basin. PLUARG, a subgroup of the International Joint Commission (IJC) established by the United States and Canada to legislate pollution controls in the basin, was set up in 1972 to make recommendations to the IJC. It will be disbanded next year after presenting its findings to the commission, which will then pass new legislation controlling lake pollution. Farming is being blamed for sediment and phosphorus reaching the lakes. Ai Farmers are eagel• to find ways to lessen pollution from W their operations, the brief says, It notes they derive their livelihood directly from the en- vironment and consequently have a "very special interest" in any pollution in the region. "As agriculturalists we are vitally interested in preventing the loss of prime agricultural land for any reason," it adds, urging immediate research into feasible ways to minimize soil erosion and pollution of foodlands. The brief warns against proposed solutions that might add greatly to a farmer's produc- tion costs. "Farmers seem to find themselves in a perennial cost/price squeeze," it notes, Consequently the public sector must be prepared to shoulder at least part of the cost of any proposals requiring major cost of production increases or large capital expenditures. "If our capacity to produce food in Canada is crippled, whether from pollution, erosion or unreasonably restrictive regulations aimed at curbing these, we will soon find ourselves at the mercy of foreign food sellers," it cautions, noting 40% of the gross national product is related to agriculture. Neither do farmers want to be saddled with all the blame for ak problems that are shared with mir others, "Pollution from non- farm sources must be given equal attention," the brief urges. Industrial fallout includes such toxic substances as PCBs, sul- phur dioxides and ozone which eventually find their way into the food chain, it notes, and points out that the new Ontario Hydro plant at Nanticoke, one of the world's largest power stations, has no desulphurizing equip- ment, It also points out agriculture is not the only human activity caus- ing erosion. Other causes include road construction, cottage and subdivision development, gravel pits, mining, forestry operations and intensive recreation, Road salt, it adds, is becoming a major contaminant in this region. The federation makes a number of suggestions on steps to be taken to reduce erosion and pollution. These include: making one ministry or department responsible for looking after soil erosion problems; — introducing courses in soil erosion and con- servation into universities and colleges; — conducting research into reclaiming and purifying sewage for use as fertilizer; — developing new crops and crop- ping practices suitable for On- tario growing cdnditions: — retaining forest cover and swamplands through a program Over 400 delegates at the Annual Convention of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture ap-, plauded Eugene Whelan, Federal Minister of Agriculture, when he said: "I want to ensure that Canadians are getting the best value for their food dollar, but not at the expense of the farmer." Right now in Canada it is estimated that 13.8 percent of every take-home dollar is being spent on meals taken in the home. This compares with 26,5 percent in Italy, 21.5 percent in the U.K. and 15 percent in the U.S. Mr. Whelan Said that food did cost less 25 years ago, but it wasn't cheaper. Back in 1951 an average hour's pay bought 1,2 lbs. of sirloin steak. In 1976, that same hour's pay bought 3.5 lbs of Mr. Whelan was angry about a recent Statistics Canada an- nouncement that food and housing were the Main culprits in a One-percent jump in the Con- surlier Price Index. He said that the is net a cost of living index, but only a single list of 325 consumer items that are com- pared Monthly, "We live in a luxury-minded society today — expensive vacations, new cars, and two TVs ate all looked on as necessities. And most people resent paying out for the real necessities — such as food." "I don't blame our Canadian farmers, or our processors, for thinking that we're getting the short end of the stick when it comes to seeing our markets weakened due to imported foodstuffs," He said it is time that Canada becomes known as the bad guy in trade negotiations. We need to compete as aggressively as everybody else. And the people who can give us the best input are the producers, the processors — the people who see from a grass roots position`what is happening to the agricultural industry in this country, Canada must start pushing other countries to lower tariff and non-tariff barriers, Whelan said that Canada lost 600,000 lbs. of cheese sales to the U.S, because the U.S. government requires that all cheese be sold through specified agents who are too busy selling cheese for other people. Mt. Whelan concluded by saying: "We have the farmers. We have the expertise. We have the laed, But we will get nowhere unless we tailor our production and manage our resources carefully. We Must produce to fill existing needs. We cannot afford to produce for production's sake alone," sion results in river sediment that is far richer in phosphorus than the fields were, he said. IVs not clear that phosphorus is actually causing the problems in the lakes, he added, though it is adding to problems already there. Lake Erie, for instance, is a rich lake; it just needed phosphorus to really "go to town". It now produces more fish than ever but they are "coarse" fish rather than the lake trout people are looking for. Although the coarse fish are actually higher in protein than the "better quality" fish, people want the lake to revert to its previous condition. "Their objective is to turn the clock back to the 1930s and I don't think we can practically ac- complish it," Mr. Franks said. He said the majority of the phosphorus entering the lakes is considered to be coming from agricultural activities, mostly from manure, with some coming from fertilizers. This is one area that will undoubtedly come un- der IJC scrutiny in framing new regulations and farmers should be looking into the charges against them, he noted. Income down 30 percent About twenty-five Huron Connty farmers heard the President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture tell the farmer's story to delegates from all over Ontario. Peter Hannam, who was elected for a second term as President of Canada's most powerful farmers' organization, said that in the last year the O.F.A. has succeeded in getting important tax con- cessions, trespass legislation, import and tariff concessions and many others. "Farmers,' he said, "represent only 5 percent of the population but if we present a solid front, we can still exert a strong pressure on our govern- ments." He went on to say that our interests will be traded off, for example in tariff concessions, if we don't stand united. He cited examples of joint presentations by O.F.A. and the marketing boards to the federal Ministry of Consumer and Corporate Affairs concerning the Competition Bill that set farmer against con- sumer. There were major con- cessions by the Minister because of this action. • Changes in the Ontario Traffic regulations regarding farm vehicles were also a direct result from discussion with Queens' Park. "If present trends continue, farm net income will be down about $700 million or about 19 percent this year. And that's on top of a 13 percent drop last year. It hurts us farmers, but it also hurts the rest of the economy, For example, farm machinery sales were down over $84 million in the first nine months of this year. That's $84 million the machinery industry doesn't have to spend on steel and other supplies and wages. So it hurts other people just as it hurts the farmer. The present level of the Canadian dollar at 90c U.S. is good for our economy because it is good for farming, It is rather tragic to consider the spectacle of others in our economy hollering because they have been kept to ten percent increases in wages, while far- mers have to take a drop of 30 percent in income in the last two years. Mr. Hannam said that the O.F.A. is in agreement with a national food policy, as long as it does not become a national "cheap" food policy. The concept of a food policy must start with the principle that price must cover cost of production, with enough left over for wages and return on investment, He also demanded that other sectors of the food industry receive the same scrutiny that the agricultural marketing boards do. Efficiency must be everywhere, not just in agriculture. He received a standing ovation after he closed his address with: "I challenge you to grasp this opportunity to further the development of Positive Programmes For Ontario Agriculture. warned. PLUARG will be presenting its final report to the IJC about mid- July next year and he suggested the federation be represented there, The group Mr. Franks ad- dressed included Norman Alex- ander of L,ondesboro, James McIntosh of Tuckersmith Township and Goderich Coun- cillor Don Wheeler, all three of whom are sitting on panels set up by PLUARG to allow public in- put. The panels have been meeting in various centres throughout the Ontario portion of the Great Lakes basin to hear briefs and conduct discussions. Also present were Mr. and Mrs, Merle Gunby, Mr. and Mrs. George Underwood and Bev Brown of the HFA and Ron Fleming, an agricultural engineer with the ministry of agriculture and food. Mr, Franks described the research being done into pollu- tion in the Great Lakes and the purposesmisns of the panels and corn- io Pollution and sedimentation in the Great Lakes is pretty well Why are they standing? Now, if I can just get turned Now how do you pick up the stick with these gloves—on? Mary gloom