New manure management guidelines adopted by the provincial government on January 7 were the result of extensive consultations with the livestock industry and the general public over the past 14 months, and were not rushed through at the last minute, says a member of the focus group which helped develop them. Ken MacLellan, Vice-President of the Federation of Agriculture, said work began on the new guidelines in November of 1997, and was essentially completed one year later.
"The letter to the ministers of agriculture and environment endorsing the new guidelines and signed by all members of the focus group was sent on December 2," said Mr. MacLellan. "Any suggestion that the guidelines were changed or rushed through at the last minute fails to recognize the extensive consultations that preceded their adoption."
Mr. MacLellan said the focus group met eight times during the past year, a workshop involving representatives of the livestock industry was held in April of 1998, and two public meetings were held in June. Copies of the various drafts were public documents and were available through Island Information Service. The final document reflected a legal review which followed the focus group's work.
Focus group members included representatives of the Dairy Producers Association, the Cattlemens Association, the Hog Commodity Marketing Board, the Federation of Agriculture, and staff of the departments of agriculture and environment.
"The adoption of new manure management guidelines was discussed in the report of the Round Table on Resource Land Use and Stewardship, and have been the subject of ongoing public discussions since that report was released 18 months ago," said Agriculture and Forestry Minister Eric Hammill. "The process which was established to develop the new guidelines ensured that all interested Islanders could provide input."
Mr. Hammill said the new guidelines, which replace those which have been in effect since 1986, will encourage "best practices" in the storage and utilization of manure, and will hopefully lead to improved relations between livestock producers and their neighbours. "The adoption of the new guidelines is a further step forward in our efforts to become a leader in environmentally sustainable food production practices," he said.