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Swine industry happy with changes to manure regulations

Manitoba Pork is content with the Government’s proposed amendments

By Jennifer Jackson

The Manitoba hog industry expressed its satisfaction with the Province’s recent proposal to change the Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation. These amendments will promote fair regulation and environmental stewardship in the industry, according to government consultation records.

Some of the proposed changes include:

-          Streamlining the manure facility design and building process by minimizing the number of notifications the engineer must give the government during construction and design. The changes will also give engineers more flexibility in terms of facility design and size.

-          Improving uniformity and amending legislation duplications with other provincial legislation – specifically between the Water Protection Act and the Manure Regulation.

-          Increasing manure spreading flexibility by eliminating minimum distance rules for manure transport to field, and instead placing increased focus on the field’s soil suitability for manure spreading.

-          Ensuring the province’s swine industry follows the same legislation as other livestock industries, as opposed to following additional requirements.

-          Removing the farmer’s requirement to sample and report the pigs’ drinking water analyses. Farmers are still required to give pigs potable drinking water as required in other livestock regulations.

The Manitoba government outlines the rest of the changes in its consultation record.

Pigs

Andrew Dickson, general manager of Manitoba Pork, was receptive to the Province’s changes in the manure regulations. Manitoban pork producers deal with some of Canada’s firmest regulations on manure management, Dickson said in an interview with CBC.

"I want to make it clear, the regulations, even if they are amended … will still be some of the most stringent manure management regulations in North America," he said to CBC.

He believes the regulation changes shows the Province’s focus on environment protection, while still addressing impractical swine requirements.  

"The farmers want to protect the environment above all because they live out there,” he said.

The Province is accepting the public’s written comments on the proposed regulation changes until May 12, 2017.

More information on how to submit your opinion is available in the consultation record.


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