The Rural Voice, 2004-01, Page 20CANADIAN
CO-OPERATIVE
WOOL GROWERS
LIMITED
Now Available
WOOL ADVANCE PAYMENTS
Skirted Fleeces
* Well -Packed Sacks
For more information contact:
WINGHAM
WOOL DEPOT
John Farrell
R.R. 2, Wingham, Ontario
Phone/Fax 519-357-1058
16 THE 111IRAL VOICE
how local it has to be," she added.
Attempts to identify if E. coli comes
from farm animals would have to be
done in the context of how local
farms are operated. Chen wasn't sure
how the Florida lab used by ACLA
got its library of animal bacteria to be
able to say the E. coli originated with
animals.
But others defended the Florida
lab. pointing out the lab was
recommended by the United States
Department of Agriculture after
University of Guelph said it wasn't
far enough along in being able to
identify the source of E. coli through
DNA testing. The provinces of
Manitoba and Alberta also use this
lab.
Scharfe noted there are mysteries
about the E. coli contamination
of Huron's beaches. While
beaches north of Goderich have
regularly shown high bacterial levels,
the beach at Bayfield has hardly ever
had high readings. Farther south, the
beach at Hay Township Park has
shown a wide variety of test results
from low levels to high levels. In
some cases when tests were taken at
some beaches right after a rainfall
when higher bacterial would have
been expected, the counts weren't up,
but might jump days later.
As well some days the E. coli
count would be higher in samples
taken at the water's edge than at
waist depth while other days it would
be higher at waist level than at the
water's edge.
Geoff Peach of the Lake Huron
Centre for Coastal Conservation,
who has been conducting a study of
the Lake Huron shoreline for
Environment Canada, said Huron
County may have been caught by its
own thoroughness since it has a long-
term and extensive beach -water
testing program. "This is not the
same in other areas of Lake Huron."
While water testing of streams in
the north end of the county by ACLA
and in the south by Bluewater
Shoreline Residents' Association
(BSRA) have shown what some call
"alarming" results, Ron Bennett of
the Ministry of Natural Resources
noted that water quality standards for
fish actually exceed those for humans
and the health of fish and wildlife
stocks along the streams indicates the
general health of the streams may not
be as bad as some fear.
• But when comments from the
expert panel gave way to questions
from the floor, attempts to keep the
tone of the meeting peaceful were
sorely tested. While county officials
like Warden Dave Urlin made
conciliatory comments like "we've
all been part of the problem and we
have to sit down and become part of
the solution," others were in no mood
to heed the call to stop pointing
fingers.
"I think there is not nearly enough
finger -pointing," said Frances Hogan
of PROTECT, an Ashfield Township
group of non -livestock farmers and
non-farm residents which has
contested the arrival of some large-
scale livestock operations in the
township. While scientists had called
for more study, Hogan claimed the
issue was being studied to death. The
source of the pollution seems most
likely to be from livestock, he said,
complainimg that the provincial
Nutrient Management Act has "set us
back many years in our area. The
rules are not nearly as stringent as
before (under local nutrient
management bylaws)."
Government officials aren't doing
enough to c;eal with the bad actors in
the livestock industry, Hogan
claimed.
But Mark Sully was even blunter
in his attack on anyone who defended
animal agriculture. He quoted 1996
Statistics Canada information that
Huron County produced more
manure than anywhere else in
Canada and that the livestock
population had grown 30 per cent
since then. Back in 1996 there were
enough nutrients produced on Huron
farms to fertilize 100 per cent of the
land in the county but it was being
spread on only 20 per cent of the
land, he claimed, and the animal
population has increased since then.
"I don't think you could do a nutrient
management plan for the county," he
suggested.
"It's obscene that people who are
in this room know there is a problem
and ignore it," Sully said. "It's just
evil."
But Neil Vincent, president of the
Huron County Federation of
Agriculture had his own statistics.
Because of the decline of the beef
feedlot industry in Huron County, the
J.R. FARMS
EAST FRIESIAN
DAIRY SHEEP
ItAl
l
> Breeding/Stock and FI crosses
> Milk production records
available
> Closed Flock, Maedi -Visna
OPP - negative
> Economically priced
BILL AND LAURA MCKAY
RR 2 Tavistock, ON
NOB 2R0
(519) 462-1446
e-mail: jrdairysheep@execulink.com
CANADIAN
CO-OPERATIVE
WOOL GROWERS
LIMITED
Now Available
WOOL ADVANCE PAYMENTS
Skirted Fleeces
* Well -Packed Sacks
For more information contact:
WINGHAM
WOOL DEPOT
John Farrell
R.R. 2, Wingham, Ontario
Phone/Fax 519-357-1058
16 THE 111IRAL VOICE
how local it has to be," she added.
Attempts to identify if E. coli comes
from farm animals would have to be
done in the context of how local
farms are operated. Chen wasn't sure
how the Florida lab used by ACLA
got its library of animal bacteria to be
able to say the E. coli originated with
animals.
But others defended the Florida
lab. pointing out the lab was
recommended by the United States
Department of Agriculture after
University of Guelph said it wasn't
far enough along in being able to
identify the source of E. coli through
DNA testing. The provinces of
Manitoba and Alberta also use this
lab.
Scharfe noted there are mysteries
about the E. coli contamination
of Huron's beaches. While
beaches north of Goderich have
regularly shown high bacterial levels,
the beach at Bayfield has hardly ever
had high readings. Farther south, the
beach at Hay Township Park has
shown a wide variety of test results
from low levels to high levels. In
some cases when tests were taken at
some beaches right after a rainfall
when higher bacterial would have
been expected, the counts weren't up,
but might jump days later.
As well some days the E. coli
count would be higher in samples
taken at the water's edge than at
waist depth while other days it would
be higher at waist level than at the
water's edge.
Geoff Peach of the Lake Huron
Centre for Coastal Conservation,
who has been conducting a study of
the Lake Huron shoreline for
Environment Canada, said Huron
County may have been caught by its
own thoroughness since it has a long-
term and extensive beach -water
testing program. "This is not the
same in other areas of Lake Huron."
While water testing of streams in
the north end of the county by ACLA
and in the south by Bluewater
Shoreline Residents' Association
(BSRA) have shown what some call
"alarming" results, Ron Bennett of
the Ministry of Natural Resources
noted that water quality standards for
fish actually exceed those for humans
and the health of fish and wildlife
stocks along the streams indicates the
general health of the streams may not
be as bad as some fear.
• But when comments from the
expert panel gave way to questions
from the floor, attempts to keep the
tone of the meeting peaceful were
sorely tested. While county officials
like Warden Dave Urlin made
conciliatory comments like "we've
all been part of the problem and we
have to sit down and become part of
the solution," others were in no mood
to heed the call to stop pointing
fingers.
"I think there is not nearly enough
finger -pointing," said Frances Hogan
of PROTECT, an Ashfield Township
group of non -livestock farmers and
non-farm residents which has
contested the arrival of some large-
scale livestock operations in the
township. While scientists had called
for more study, Hogan claimed the
issue was being studied to death. The
source of the pollution seems most
likely to be from livestock, he said,
complainimg that the provincial
Nutrient Management Act has "set us
back many years in our area. The
rules are not nearly as stringent as
before (under local nutrient
management bylaws)."
Government officials aren't doing
enough to c;eal with the bad actors in
the livestock industry, Hogan
claimed.
But Mark Sully was even blunter
in his attack on anyone who defended
animal agriculture. He quoted 1996
Statistics Canada information that
Huron County produced more
manure than anywhere else in
Canada and that the livestock
population had grown 30 per cent
since then. Back in 1996 there were
enough nutrients produced on Huron
farms to fertilize 100 per cent of the
land in the county but it was being
spread on only 20 per cent of the
land, he claimed, and the animal
population has increased since then.
"I don't think you could do a nutrient
management plan for the county," he
suggested.
"It's obscene that people who are
in this room know there is a problem
and ignore it," Sully said. "It's just
evil."
But Neil Vincent, president of the
Huron County Federation of
Agriculture had his own statistics.
Because of the decline of the beef
feedlot industry in Huron County, the