The Lucknow Sentinel, 1998-03-18, Page 61utrie
by Rick Kew
sri ag the last sev-
era1 months the
Ontario • Farm
environmental Coalition-
(QEEC) has developed a
n.tittriertt management plan-
ning strategy which
addresses urban and rural
Q;FEC, which: has rep.:
resentation rrom..f trim,
municipal agri-business
and educational organize:
tions unveiled- its strategy
at the recent Rural Ontario
-tit/tunic ipal Assoctaticin
(ROMA). conference in
Toronto, • ` . . Bert
Vorstenboich, of Rt Z
Mitchell, Chaired OFEC's
nutrient manag.tent sem
inarr at ROMA..
OPEC scheduled five
meetings across Ontario to
• gain input from interested
p rues, 'said Coniniittecr
Chair Bert VorstenbgsSh ,
'whop attended one such
,meeting . with. Perth
Warden Pave $hear. and
County •Planner i?ay..e
Haply in -Brussels March--
•
Ranly informed Perth'
County council. Margit 5'
ithat requirement's , in
QFEC's draft plan sug-
gests that, it is directed:
.toward larger livestock
operations. of 150. live-.
•stock units rather theta
'requiring it for ail Opera-
tier's: After, discussion
among the council mein
bers.,1an}ywas requested
to 'prepare a report which
will be 'forwarded to
OPEC outlining the coup
ty'-s'concerns. .
Perth fast Mayor
Ge irge Wicke said "If we
don"t make a comment (on,
UFEC's, plan) it appears,
We are sati tied with,nutri-
ent ,xnana ernerit in Perth
and we are. .not., -We
liave, talked about, that
before.
it was pointedout by
West. Perth;, Mayor John
Van Bake1 that. "cash crop-
pers" who do not -soil sam-
ple .on a regular basis end'
up overspreaading.cpmmer-
tial fertilizers and those
nutrientsenol up'in the
waterways as well:. .
Underscoring the coun-
ty jositiOn .that alt farmers
manage
should be required to have
a nutrient management. .
plan, Warden Shearer said
it would be difficult to
draw a brie between '
neighboring farmSwhere '
Beni
an addr
one operation was only
slightly, smaller than the
other.
• - The: county requires'
livestock eperaters to own.
4a :per cent of ;the nand •
base required to properly
handle. manure require=
Meats, While -OPEC's plan,
has -no such restxicetion, he
explained. • '
•o wever, Perth East-
Councillor lan•'Porrest said
tlhe issue or land owner-'
ship, as oppo.sed,to teas-
ing, has to be looked at:
with an eye to serving
beginning fanners; as well.
"There has to be some
middle ground...on regula'-
don,,' .
Forrest, said fter
ship of land is:. require-•
meat for a, livestock. Opera»
Iron; the financial harden •
to a -person starting up,
who has tar buy quota and
land will` make t almo$rt
impassible ie. get funding:
Vorsmnbosch explained
that OPEC's plan is
designed ,to be used as a
tool for farmers to .ensure
water quality andsoil
health is preserved; while.
minirani4ing, odor associat-
ed witty mane re and main-
taining farm productivity,
• . As part of the .pl'an•
farmers will be required to
keep,records-:cif manure
use on their land: for. a
period of six yeats,. which
will nota Only, provide
farrnerir with a working
tool but it will also .pro--
vi4ethe-community with a
history of the land's use,
Farm Progress '98 - gage >
sses urban rura
The biggest concerns
expressed: in Urussels, said
Varsteuboselx, were
"policing and teeth,"
.However, he said if
municipalities tack the
nutrient rnarrugernent plan
on to any: building. permit,
that along with adherence.
to provincial minimum,
distance standards will go
a long. Way to meeting all
rural and agricultural cont -
cern
"A trtanagemont.`plarr is
(04 as good: as the ,person
- running the plan," he said
adding: that despite .the
lack of format policing in
the plan, he said peer pre,
sure and.loealreporting to
;county groups;. Would
'eipose; anyone creating
problems,
-Vorsten:busc:ht noted that
Pp tlh County has an
Agricultural • Review
ommittee. i n place, which
is prepared to deal with
eornplaintis'regarditig farm
practices. The province
provides a similar coat--
plaint handling procedure
through its Farming and
Fond Production
proteetioii. Act (Biil; 1:46/'
and OPEC states that it is
encouraging OMA.FRA. to
irtelu k "the nutrient MAW,'
agement plan in.the Act.
"Every, farmer should
itave.a,ncitrient rrianage
rent plan for his own edu
cath n as we» aS'.hrofit,".
said Vorstenbosch,• "but.
therewill always•be one or
two per cent who don't
use goodfarming practices.
no matter what.,"
'4We (QFEC) are, trying.
to do this gracefully" he.
added,•"batt; if problems
persist with: a particular
individual, eventually thea
Ministry ref ` the,
Environment will get
involved and, charges
couldlae laid." •• .
` Vorsten zosclx,, sewn:d.,
viceypresident of ROMA .
and: a pork producer, said •
input frorna these meetings
will,be used to make final
revisions to the. nutrient'
-management plait before it
is taken on a series -of 17
half-day workshops aerosk
the -province; _
The plan: will be Sub
miffed,' to Minister of.
Apiculture :: Noble .
Villeneuve within two
rncnths, said
Vorstenbasch, and if the •
strategy ntreets with rrriri;
istry approval: mttnielpaii-...
'es will have a sound pro:
tin to integrate with.an
-future *bylawsimpleinen
ed to. deal withmanure
ccmcerrts,'
"The closest. ••:: is
itr Otte region will'le at
'see "'"Meetings', page 6A .'
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