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The Rural Voice, 2002-07, Page 57PERTH 1!T County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER Jim Van Nes, President 519-393-6712 • The Rural Voice is provided to Perth County Pork Producers by the PCPPA. Let's base legislation on science Any opinions expressed herein may not necessarily reflect the views of the Perth County Pork Producers' Association. Recently, an article appeared in The Stratford Beacon Herald that was alarming and horrifying. Without involving the farming community it would appear that some members of Perth County Council were considering a bylaw that would place a cap of one animal unit per acre on farms. There appears to be no scientific research done to back this arbitrary number. This may seem like a rather simple rule but it brings with it enormous consequences and may render,smaller farms unviable. One has to wonder about the long term intentions of Perth County Council. Are they against sustainable agriculture? Are they against larger farms? Are they against small farms? Are they really interested in preserving the environment or using that to justify another cause? If Perth County Council is really environmentally conscious, why do they seem unconcerned by the serious pollution from municipalities within their borders on a regular basis? One of the landfills near our home sends a large plume of black toxic smoke into the air like clockwork every other Saturday as the regular bagged garbage is burned. Is this in compliance with Ministry of the Environment guidelines? This smoldering pile releases its toxins for several days before it dies out only to be set afire again the following dump day by municipal staff. Another example of serious damage to our environment is from the City of Stratford. I have read in the local paper recently that the city has been identified repeatedly by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority as a major polluter of the Thames River. Stratford prides itself in its park system with its flock of waterfowl that, common sense says, any watercourse cannot handle. What would the public reaction be if a farmer let his poultry or livestock manure flow into a river? Stratford is also known for its practice of dumping raw sewage into the river. In 1996, Stratford dumped raw sewage 48 times intentionally and once by accident. Stratford is not alone in this of course, as this is common practice around the province. In that same year almost all municipalities dumped raw sewage. Niagara Falls dumped 94 times intentionally and six times unintentionally. Toronto dumped 70 times intentionally and 21 times unintentionally. Unintentional bypasses are called a "spill". Even Goderich, whose beach closures cause so many cottagers concern, dumped sewage numerous times. This is municipal staff releasing pollution on purpose. No one needs to wonder what the public reaction would be if any farmer spilled by accident or not. Are the real intentions of local politicians in Perth County to preserve the environment for all to enjoy? If so, then it may be best to clean up its own act before targeting its ratepayers. All legislation, whether local, provincial, or federal should have science as its base. It would be much more effective in cleaning up the environment rather than by arbitrarily making up new rules. 1 believe that our major polluters are the urban centers with their sewage bypasses and industrial waste. As a farmer I find it hard to understand how bypassing treatment plants is an accepted practice. I would welcome research in this area and perhaps livestock producers should fund it. Ontario's pork producers have funded over $2 million in environmental research since 1997, which doesn't include the hundreds invested by individuals in environmental improvements on their own farms. We need to continue to be part of the solution. As farmers, we need to stick together to preserve our rural lifestyle. In many cases, including the local political level, we are our own worst enemies. It is time to stop pointing fingers at each other. I do not like large versus small farm comparisons. A lot of recent legislation designed to slow or stop large operations is actually most restrictive to small operations. 1 would like to thank Jim Van Nes and Paul Verkley for defending all farmers at Perth County Council. We are all in agriculture and any legislation affects each of us. On issues such as land use and environment, all farmers need to speak with one voice.0 — Submitted by Joe Kolkman PERTH COUNTY PORK PRODUCERS' PORK PRODUCTS • Smoked Pork Chops • Fresh Pork Chops • Stuffed Loin Chops • Smoked Sausage • Smoked Cheddar Sausage • Bacon Burgers • Teriyaki Pork Steaks • Vittorio's BBQ Sauce Steve Hulshof (Kinkora) Martin van Bakel (Dublin) Walter Bosch (Monkton) Ted Keller (Mitchell) . AVAILABLE FROM. 348-8167 345-2666 356-9000 348-9836 JULY 2002 53