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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-05-10, Page 10Page 10 May 10, 2006 • The Huron Expositor News Farmers and OMAFRA reps weigh in on Nutrient Management Act Jennifer' Hubbard Described by some' as a moving target, the Nutrient. Management Act (NMA) was the focus of area farmers and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) representatives at a recent meeting. "Nutrient management is a very timely and important topic and it's important to update ourselves on the Nutrient Management Act," Huron County Federation of Agriculture president Nick Whyte said as the April 25 meeting began. "As the price of commercial fertil- izer continues to increase it's more important to use manure in ways to get as much value for our money as possible." While there have been amend- ments to the NMA — originally -- passed in 2002 — its purpose has not changed, OMAFRA nutrient man- agement specialist Jacqui Forbes told the 30 farmers in attendance: The regulation, created to manage materials containing nutrients in ways that will enhance protection of the national environment and pro- vide a sustainable future for the agricultural operations and rural development, came into effect in :tom... 2003 and was amended in September 2005. "It's a challenging regulation that's been amended a couple of times, and the most recent changes do have implications on farmers," Forbes explained. "The changes are good however, because they have forced discus- sions between the provincial and municipal governments about nutri- ent management bylaw redundan- cies." Forbes said she's heard that municipalities are thinking about eliminating their ,nutrient manage- ment bylaws to allow for more con- sistent governance at the provincial level and put all Ontario farmers on an even playing field. Central Huron Reeve Bert Dykstra said his municipality is looking to Huron County council for direction on the issue. The county's health and planning committee was expected to present a recommendation to repeal the county nutrient management bylaw at council's May 2 meeting. Dykstra said once the county repeals its bylaw, Central Huron — and other lower -tier municipalities — will likely follow suit. "Everyone here in this room has Arena Expansion FuhJraiser Help us help them... NR Renovations and The Siding People Inc. are donating 25 -cents for every linear :_,<, eaves trough that is sold or installed for the months of May, June & July to the Mitchell Arena Expansion Fund. Perhaps it doesn't sound like much, but the average house uses 150-200 linear ft., which could translate to a S40-$50 donation per house directly to the expansion fund. The goal is 2,000 -ft. per week for the 13 -weeks of this promotion, giving a total of 26,000 -ft. and perhaps an additional S6,500 to assist in the arena dressing room fundraising initiative! WE'RE PROUD TO SUPPORT MITCHELL MINOR SPORTS IN THIS ENDEAVOUR, AND HOPE TO COUNT ON YOUR SUPPORT' SIDING PEOPLE CALL RICHART AT (519) 348-0400 TODAY! ;i concerns about clean water," Forbes said. "We at OMAFRA and the MOE have listened to farm organizations that said there is too high of an administrative load on farmers and we want to do what we can to make nutrient management plans and strategies easier and more practi- cal." Requirements under the NMA that could not be supported by sci- ence -based standards have been changed to advised best practices. "As we learn more and gather research we will make improve- ments to those standards," Forbes added. Changes affecting all farms are: bans on high trajectory guns for manure and non-agricultural source material except for dilute material greater than 99' per cent water and winter spreading of sewage biosolids between Dec. 1 and March 1; and a 20 -metre setback require- ment from the top of a surface water bank when spreading non-agricul- tural source material, "But the main message is that there's an increase in the number of phase-in farms that will be required to have a strategy or plan," Forbes said. Under the amended NMA, any building permit for a livestock hous- ing or manure storage facility on farms with more than five nutrients will require and OMAFRA approved nutrient management strategy (NMS). Five beef cattle, five medium frame horses or three Clydesdale horses would represent five nutrient units. Farms with greater than five nutrient units must also complete a NMS prior to the excavation of an earthern nutrient storage facility. An OMAFRA record of approval is now required prior to the issuing of a municipal building permit to show proof of a NMS. "If you're going to build some- thing, let's build it right," Forbes commented. Nutrient management plans (NMP) are required if a strategy is LAWN QUESTIONS? is, Organic Programs Available ACCREDITED •r/�8� -Trust the Professionals - 524-2424 McTaggart Wettlaufer INSURANCE BROKERS INC. • AUTO • HOME • FARM • TRAVEL • COMMERCIAL • LIFE INSURANCE BROKERS Paul Wettlaufer • Amy Siemon Suzanne Zehr • Leigh Crawford Ken Hutchison • Bill Siemon 68 6ntario Rd. 3464150 Mitchell 1-800-561-0183 required and the farm is generating a large volume of manure — 300 nutrient units or greater - or if the farm is within 100 metres of a municipal well. "The above farms that apply non- agricultural source material like biosolids also require an approved NMP," Forbes said. An NMS is a document that describes a farm's generation, stor- age and destination of prescribed material. The NMP is more extensive detailing how all nutrients are to be applied to a given land base, includ- ing crop rotation, soil samples and application rates. Plans anti strategies must be pre- pared by someone who is trained and certified, whether it be a con- sultant or a farmer who has com- pleted the required courses. The former `short form' plans and strategies are no longer an option. Additional impacts of the amend- ed regulations include standard set- backs, engineering and geotechnical assessments of any new and expanding liquid storage facility, land application standards and runoff management. Contact Forbes at the Clinton OMAFRA office 482-3333 for fur- ther information on the legislation changes and funding opportunities through provincial and municipal programs. Ministry of the Environment (MOE) agricultural environment officer Gary Roberts ended the meeting with a discussion on com- pliance, enforcement and due dili- gence. "The key to protecting yourself is by making sure you have performed and documented your due dili- gence," he explained. "Due diligence is the reasonable steps that a person would take to prevent causing harm to others or the environment from an activity they are involved in." The MOE is responsible for inspections and compliance to the NMA on farms, as well as with other provincial environmental leg- islation. Performing due diligence includes taking reasonable actions to: pre- vent something bad from happen- ing; clean up and/or remediate the environment if something bad does happen; and prevent something similar from happening again. Roberts said over the past five years there have been an average of 20-30 manure spills each year in Ontario. The MOE currently receives approximately 500 incident reports regarding manure per year, includ- ing confirmed spills, unconfirmed spills, runoff concerns, odour com- plaints and any other environmen- tal reports concerning manure.