Updates to the Agricultural Operation Practices Act, if passed, would help reduce waste, allow farmers to supplement fertilizer with organic materials and help the province attract job-creating investment. The act and its regulations provide rules and standards for all agricultural operations that handle manure and organic materials. Biodigesters are already operating in the province, and this change will provide certainty for those who store and use biogas production byproducts as a nutrient source to grow crops and encourage investment in biodigester facilities.
“Alberta farmers and ranchers work hard to put good food on tables here at home and around the world. Updates to this act would provide access to additional nutrient sources to grow crops. With access to abundant organic material near livestock operations, Alberta will continue to be seen as an attractive place for investment for the biogas industry. Changes would provide this emerging industry with regulatory certainty to do business, creating good jobs in rural Alberta.”
RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation
Farmers, ranchers and agri-processors produce 3.4 million tonnes of organic waste annually, mainly from livestock manure and food processing. These sectors have asked government for more economical and efficient ways to manage this waste from other farms or agricultural processors.
The act currently lacks clarity on how organic material can be managed. This has led to regulatory uncertainty for agricultural operations regarding storing and using digestate generated from manure.
Additions to the Agricultural Operation Practices Act would allow organic waste from the agricultural sector to be diverted from landfills to biogas plants, which would use it to generate heat and electricity or refine it into renewable natural gas and help support a circular economy.
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