The Manitoba government has tabled legislation that would permanently enshrine the province’s moratorium on developing new hog barns in certain areas
Water protection would be strengthened and the long-term environmental sustainability of the hog industry would be ensured under amendments to the Environment Act, Struthers said as he introduced the legislation.
Under the amendments, the three regional hog moratoriums announced in March would be permanently enshrined in legislation.
“This government has taken significant steps to protect water and to ensure the environmental sustainability of the industry,” said Struthers. “This bill is part of an orderly process of establishing strong water protection following from the Clean Environment Commission’s (CEC) report and this government’s regulation to halt new or expanded hog barns.”
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The amendments to the Environment Act would legislate the halt to industry expansion in three regions of the province where enhancement of existing environmental protection is necessary:
Southeastern Manitoba: This region is classified as an intensively-developed area, meaning it does not have sufficient land base to allow for further sustainable spreading of livestock manure.
The Red River Valley Special Management Zone: This high-risk area, which includes the capital region of the province, was identified by the Phosphorus Expert Committee as a vulnerable region because it is a flood-prone area. At 54 per cent, the Red River is the highest source of phosphorus loading to Lake Winnipeg.
The Interlake: This region borders on Lake Winnipeg to the east and Lake Manitoba to the west. In addition, wetlands and other marginal and ecologically-sensitive land make the region unsuitable for further hog industry expansion.
The remaining regions of the province would be subject to new, more strict requirements as recommended by the CEC including extending the ban on winter spreading of manure to all operations by 2013. A cross-departmental team led by Manitoba Conservation will be responsible for implementing the CEC recommendations.
