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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-03-25, Page 17Come celebrate Red Power Days with us! TUESDAY, MARCH 30 11AM-7PM At our Exeter Location! Unload your unwanted hems and pick up some quick cash! One Call Moves It All The Citizen 523-4792 or 887-9114 THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2004. PAGE 17. MPP told environmental issues adding to stress By Keith Roulston Citizen publisher • With the stress of the BSE crisis and low prices, farmers do not need the additional pressures of new provincial and federal environmental restrictions. Huron farm leaders attending Saturday's Members of Parliament meeting told their political representatives. From a crackdown by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to the introduction of nutrient management plans to future plans for protecting source water, farmers are ill-equipped to handle more regulations right now, Paul Steckle, MP and Carol Mitchell, MPP for Huron-Bruce were told. Concern of the switch of enforcement for provisions of the Nutrient Management Act from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to the Ministry of Environment was raised by Carol Leeming in delivering a brief from the Huron County Egg Producers. Under the previous Progressive Conservative government enforcement had been under OMAF authority. Mitchell said the change was a recommendation of the O'Connor inquiry into the Walkerton water tragedy but it would be the same people hired by OMAF who would now be working for MOE. "I've been given assurances they have a very strong training in agriculture," she said. "1 expect everyone in this room to hold my feet to the tire (on this promise).- But Larry Lynn of the Huron County Corn Producers worried that having a different boss can give people different priorities. Bob Hallam wondered whether these MOE staffers were gOing to be giving farmers advice in solving problems or if they would be there to trick farmers into revealing information that can then be used against them. , "Please listen to the farmers who are giving you advice," he urged Mitchell. "You are going to get minimum results with over- enforcement." By Keith Roulston Citizen publisher Huron-Bruce MP Paul Steckle supported 4 call for harmonization of pesticide regulation at the annual Members of Parliament meeting sponsored by The Huron County Federation of Agriculture, Saturday. David Marshall of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers made the request, complaining that Ontario growers are handicapped because the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is so slow in registering products. Marshall pointed to an October study by the George Morris Centre that showed PMRA is taking up to five years to approve some products. "If we can't get pesticides registered in Canada, companies won't do research here," Marshall warned: "We're losing scientists." Marshall said there have been proposals for joint approval by Canadian and U.S. regulatory authorities but companies wouldn't go along with that because the slowness of PMRA would slow use of the product in the U.S. as well. He pointed to an organic spray for apples and pears that involved spraying a clay substance on the fruit. It took four years to get this Paul Mistele. executive member of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture said a committee representing farm groups had met with MOE officials several times on the issue and asked what role they would be playing when they arrived on a farm: enforcement or education? • Mistele worried that MOE officials needed to have an attitude adjustment after hearing that one field person had said "I don't want any friends out there" because it made enforcement more difficult. "Well they've been successful,- Mitchell quipped. Jeff Robinson of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture's environment committee asked Mitchell about the delivery of funding to help farmers comply with the legislation that had been promised before legislation would be implemented. Mitchell said Steve Peters, Ontario's minister of agriculture and food had hired the George Morris Centre to do a, study of the implementation costs for the whole program. "We need to know the total dollars for the full implementation," she said. "There has never been a projection for the total program:' Jack Kroes of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario asked Mitchell is there would be funding for farmers if they went ahead and made changes before they were required to under the legislation. When Mitchell said she didn't see how there could he retroactive financial support Robinson said the government should find a way to support farmers who were proactive instead of waiting for the last minute. Farm leaders also expressed concern about source water protection. Presenting a brief on the subject, Huron Federation president Neil Vincent said the program could be expensiVe for farmers who own 85 per cent of the land in his area and can't afford to pay for the program themselves. "We have to do what we can with the dollars we have," he told Mitchell suggesting that the spray approved for use in Canada but meanwhile fruit sprayed with it was being imported from other countries where it could be used. Obviously it was not a food safety issue but an indication of PMRA not being willing to do the work, he said. "Harmonization is the only answer," Marshall said. Canada can maintain its sovereignty on the issue by saying any product registered for use in the U.S. is registered here unless there is a compelling reason to revoke the registration, he suggested. "I agree," Steckle said. "We're 124 products behind (in registering). We've approved four products in the last two years. It's tithe we closed the books on PMRA." There's a better way to move that old furniture... planning process for source water protection planning boards and committees outlined in the O'Connor Commission report- may be more elaborate than needed to protect against another water tragedy such as that in Walkerton. Had the problem well never been put into use as recommended by the drilling company and had proper scrutiny of record keeping been done by the MOE and county health unit, more restrictions wouldn't have been needed. "Five or six barriers in water protection never happened at Walkerton," he said. He suggested the pendulum has. swung too far since Walkerton. "This is costing Ws of billions of dollars throughout Ontario," he said. Les Falconer of the Huron County Beef Producers complained about officials from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans sending letters to landowners warning they can be fined up to $300,000 if cattle have access to streams. "Now is not the time to be sending farmers letters," Steckle agreed. "Farmers keep getting blamed for everything:' He said he had co-hosted a meeting in Lambton County with MP Rose-Marie Ur with 160 angry farmers and officials from the environment and fisheries and oceans departments and people seemed to go away feeling they had been heard. Some of the requirements are ridiculous, he suggested. "How do yod fence a flood plain?" Steckle shows support for pesticide harmonization You're invited to Case IH Red PoWer Days at Vincent Farm Equipment-Seaforth or Exeter. See the latest Case IH equipment including the new JX, JXC and JXU Series Mwocima TM, MXU, MXM Series MalOCUM TM and MX Series Magnum TM tractors. Case Credit will be on site with special Red Power finance rates on new equipment orders and purchases. tWa@ffa' FARM EQUIPMENT LIMITED ©2003 Case, LLC Alf Rights Reserved www.caseih.com Case 1H and Case Credit are registered trademarks of Case, LLC, CASE CREDIT Red Power Days feature events... *Ride & Drive New MXU Models from 1 lam - 5pm *Pancakes served 1 lam-1 pm & 5pm-7pm *Free Draws & Special Prizes from CASE IH* Come see the new FARNALL line of Compact Tractors 1 Mile North of SEAFORTH 527-0120 Highway #4 EXETER 235-2121 www.teamvincent.com