The Rural Voice, 2003-05, Page 14Gam}
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Jeffrey Carter
Nutrient Management needn't be so complex
Jeffrey
Carter is a
freelance
journalist
based in
Dresden,
Ontario.
Ontario farmers can worry about
the planned nutrient management
legislation on two fronts. Either the
province will backtrack on current
plans and do nothing or they'll go
ahead with them.
To do nothing, or next to nothing,
would be a disaster and yet that
seems an idea that Agriculture
Minister Helen Johns is toying with.
First Johns announced that the
implementation of the planned
legislation would be delayed. Now
the word is out that the province's
smaller farmers may not be affected
at all.
Unless Premier Ernie Eves
believes he can govern by divine
mandate for the next several months
— not beyond the realm of possibility
— an election will soon be called.
Could it be that Johns stalling on
nutrient front until that bit of business
is out of the way?
Of course, Johns may be back as
part of the opposition — a distinct
' possibility — or not back of all,
leaving someone else to sort through
the mess, or to ignore it completely.
Johns and those immediately
preceding her in the agricultural
portfolio have performed a valuable
service. They've got farmers thinking
and talking about the way manure
and other nutrients are used in
Ontario.
There is reason for concern.
Many of the people who understand
the issue best were at the National
Conference on Agricultural Nutrients
in Waterloo last spring. They say
there's a problem. They say the
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problem is getting worse in some
areas.
So to do nothing would be foolish.
Yet putting into place the proposed
legislation — as it stood a few weeks
back at least — would be a poor
decision for at least three reasons.
Ottawa agricultural lawyer
Donald Good, who spoke in
Ridgetown in January, said passage
of the legislation would result in
enough litigious activity to warrant
him buying the most expensive
vehicle he can find. That's good for
Good but bad for pretty well
everyone else.
Secondly, the legislation itself is
too complex and no doubt the
establishment regulations would add
another layer of confusion.
Finally, the people who pollute —
for whatever reason — would just go
on polluting. The Ontario Ministry of
Environment has a difficult time
enforcing current rules. Is there any
reason to think things would change
in the future?
There's a better way.
Farmers who pollute the
environment repeatedly or knowingly
should have their butts nailed to the
wall, plain and simple. This in itself
would clear up at least half of the
concerns and all it would take would
be a MOE with the manpower and
determination to do the job. That
would mean responding to
complaints immediately, not two or
three days after a call is made.
Next, for the majority of farmers
who attempt — with varying degrees
of success — to be good stewards,
help should be provided. This would
include: funding for research;
continued support for the
Environmental Farm Plan system;
and funding for buffer strips, wind
breaks, storage facilities, composting
systems, and the other
infrastructure.0
The Rural Voice
welcomes your opinions for our
Feedback letters to the editor
column.
Mail to: The Rural Voice,
PO Box 429,
Blyth, ON NOM I HO