The Rural Voice, 2003-03, Page 57PERTH iritk
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 move agriculture forward responsibly!
Any opinions expressed herein may not
necessarily reflect the views of the
Perth County Pork Producers'
Association.
The Nutrient Management Act has
been passed in the provincial
legislature. Consultations on the
accompanying regulations are well
underway for quite some time. It is
important to arrive at a point where
most concerns are addressed, but it will
be impossible to please everyone. The
Hon. Helen Johns (Minister of
Agriculture) has made it clear she will
go the distance to the get the NMA
right.
The NMA has to satisfy the public
that farmers are not polluting the
environment and at the same time
ensure the ongoing viability of
agriculture. For the public to demand
accountability from farmers it must be
also understand agriculture and not
make unrealistic demands.
Ontario Pork, Ontario Cattlemen
and the Sheep Producers have
collectively examined the NMA using
three criteria based on: 1. Is it needed?
2. Is it Practical? and 3. Is it
Affordable?
The NMA is over 200 pages long
and is written in legal language for
lawyers. The Hon. Helen Johns has
promised to release a copy in plain
English shortly. The intent of the NMA
should not be distorted by lawyers.
OMAF and the Ministry of
Environment will be in charge jointly
with implementation. If there is an
infraction, OMAF will be the first
government ministry to respond since
they understand agriculture the best.
OMAF will help a farmer and if the
farmer refuses to co-operate with
OMAF then the Ministry of the
Environment will be called in to
enforce the rules and possibly issue
fines. Hon. Helen Johns has promised
to hire enough OMAF personnel to
handle these responsibilities.
Justice O'Conner has recognized
that there should be a cost-sharing
between the agricultural communities
and the government. Farmers cannot
pass on these costs with their livestock
and produce. Hon. Helen Johns has
said that the government will share in
some of the costs of implementing
these regulations.
The NMA supercedes the
patchwork of restrictive municipal
bylaws so that farmers have a clear set
of rules across the province that
ensures their future viability. The
government has introduced Bill 234
that would require municipalities to
abide by the NMA and not add further
restrictions using the Municipal Act.
The NMA also deals with odour.
Minimum Distance Separation is the
main tool at present to deal with odour
but the NMA has included the use of
technology, so that if some technology
reduces odour, then the minimum
distance can be changed. In this regard
I think that one of the most cost-
effective ways to reduce odour would
be to install J-shaped chimney
extensions on wall fans with a drain
hole in the bottom for moisture. They
would replace fan hoods and would
direct warm exhaust air upwards. They
will also prevent exhaust air from
being pulled back into barns through
air inlets. Wall fan manufacturers
should make this option available.
The amount of manure allowed to
be spread on land is based on the crop
nutrient removal rates. There have
been suggestions that this encourages
monoculture of a crop with the highest
nutrient removal rate. A way to
encourage crop rotation without being
penalized for doing so should be
looked at.
Those who are responsible for
making the rules should not be
shortsighted and should consider the
possible unintended consequences of
any law or rule that is made.
Municipalities after amalgamation
will have less rural representation so it
could be more of a struggle to get
agricultural concerns addressed.
Collectively they will be less informed
about what makes up a normal farming
practice.
The average age of farmers is about
49, so these rules are going to apply
mostly to the next generation of
farmers. Some municipalities have
bylaws that require 30 to 40 per cent
ownership of the land required for a
NMP. Some want to limit haulage
distance as well. The ownership
requirement would drive land prices up
and would penalize young, beginning
farmers the most and maximum
distance haulage rules would not give
some farmers the chance to apply their
manure. Truck tanker trailers have
road -type tires so they would have
minimal effect on road surfaces and
could be used for longer distance
haulage.
West Perth started the imposition of
building caps and successive
municipalities have passed bylaws of
their own and have ratcheted these
caps down to 50 animal units and in
some cases outright moratoriums on
livestock buildings. There was
obviously no consideration given to
agricultural economic viability. This
would drive future construction to
those municipalities with the higher
caps. Right now it wduld be West
Perth that could see more new
livestock building construction if this
was to unfold.
Agriculture has a major impact on
the local economy. The 2001
agricultural census reported Perth
County's farm -gate yearly value was
$555.1 million; Huron was $656.5
million and Oxford was $556.1
million. A study by professor Harry
Cummings of the University of Guelph
showed that in 1996 $511.9 million in
farm -gate value turned into over $2
billion in economic activity. This $2
billion includes everything from
trucking, to farm construction,
accounting, legal, investment services,
automotive dealers, etc.
Agriculturally -zoned land must be
preserved and protected. Those who
decide to live in agriculturally -zoned
land must be made aware of the normal
farming practises before they actually
offer to purchase a property. They
should have to sign a document that
they accept defined normal farming
practises. Farmers should also strive to
be good neighbours and stewards of
the land. What is also needed is more
education, and more tolerance. Let's
move agriculture ahead, not
backwards.
It is not too late to make
suggestions as part of the consultation
period. Send your comments to:
Ministry of Agriculture and Food, 1
Stone Road West, 3rd Floor South,
Guelph, ON. NIG 4Y2. Fax: 519-826-
3259. Email: agops@omaf.gov.on.ca
— Submitted by Gerald H. Kolkman
MARCH 2003 53