Public meeting on Bill 81 to be held in RR Thursday

Ken Johnston
Editor

The crap may or may not hit the fan this Thursday as the Ontario government holds a public meeting on Bill 81, the Nutrient Management Act, at the Rainy River Legion.
In the works since the Walkerton water disaster a few years ago, Bill 81 is, “An act to provide standards with respect to the management of materials containing nutrients used on lands, to provide for the making of regulations with respect to farm animals and lands to which nutrients are applied.”
According the Act a nutrient is defined as, “means fertilizers, organic materials, biosolids, compost, manure, septage, pulp and paper sludge, and other material applied to land for the purpose of improving the growing of agricultural crops or for the purpose of a prescribed use.”
Having received royal assent last June, the new act will mean a great many changes in the practises used by farmers when both using and storing nutrients.
New specified standards for the size, capacity and location of buildings or structures that are used to store them may be created under Bill 81.
The amount of materials containing nutrients applied and the manner in which they are applied to lands can also be regulated under the act.
Standards for equipment used to transport and apply them may also be introduced under the act.
Farmers or other persons may be required to meet prescribed qualifications and pass prescribed examinations in relation to the application of materials containing nutrients to lands.
Farmers will also likely have to prepare a nutrient management plan that must be prepared or approved by persons who meet the qualifications specified by the government.
Without a plan farmers may be prohibited from constructing a new structure or building to house farm animals or store materials containing nutrients. They may also be prohibited from enlarging an existing structure or building.
At the Rainy River Cattlemen Assocation’s annual meeting January 22, 2003, Bernie Zimmerman, president of the Rainy River Federation of Agriculture asked the RRCA to work with his organization to put together a position paper on the act. They will present it this Thursday at the public meeting.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. and runs until Noon. Anyone wishing to make a presentation is asked to call tollfree 1-877-424-1300.
The meeting will deal primarily with stage two of the regulations which deal mainly with:
•the categories on non-livestock operations, as well as municipal and industrial generators of nutrients
•setbacks and buffers from watercourses for land application
•training and certification for those preparing plans
•quality standards for land-applied nutrients
•roles and responsibilities of local advisory committees
•winter application of nutrients
•application of nutrients near municipal wells