Delay of Bill 81 seen as positive step

When the provincial government announced last week that Bill 81, the Nutrient Management Act, would not take effect April 1 as originally planned, reaction was positive among district farmers.
“I’m not really surprised, especially on the verge of an election,” said Kim Cornell, a cattle farmer near Devlin, who noted he was not opposed to the bill in principle, but was concerned about what he saw as flaws in its design.
“Obviously what was presented was going to be onerous to implement,” he added.
Cornell said he believed most farmers were conscientious and had no problem with taking precautions to protect groundwater from field run-off. In fact, he added, more should be done at all levels to protect the environment.
“This issue is much broader than agriculture,” he remarked. “They [the government] have to figure out a way to bring everybody into it.”
That also is the opinion of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
Gary Struthers, the OFA’s media communications co-ordinator, noted in a press release issued last week that Bill 81 covers everything from livestock manure to chemical fertilizers and biosolids (human waste from municipalities).
Golf course operators and companies that collect waste from septic systems also are bound by its regulations.
And contrary to what some may believe, most farmers and their organizations always have been in favour of responsible use of manure and other nutrients.
The problem, says the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), is that prior to Bill 81, municipalities had the power to impose regulations on local farmers that left them at an economic and competitive disadvantage with respect to their more rural counterparts.
“We’ve consistently supported the concept in general,” said OCA executive director Mike McMorris. “The thing is, we need provincial standards that are clear and understandable to everyone.”
The clarity issue remains a concern, however. “The problem is most farmers are not aware of what changes have been made,” McMorris noted.
The changes came about as the process of bringing the bill into effect ran into problems. The initial reaction was not favourable, said McMorris, noting the problem was many people did not realize the scope of the legislation.
“Bill 81 isn’t just about manure and it isn’t just about farming,” he stressed. “This is much broader than previous legislation.”
And that is a good thing, McMorris said. Until now, potential pollution sources came under various jurisdictions and regulations.
Now, all potential threats to water will be addressed in the new legislation—once it is finally settled, he added.