hat were first put in place by small-scalefarms are no longer as satisfactory for massive agribusiness operations, and that can have abig jolt on the environment. Paul Muldoon, the executive director of the CanadianEnvironmental Law Association says, These are big industrial farms. There is no doubtthat the number of people farming has been going down, but the size of the [remaining]farms is going up. He also said that the farms should stop approving new factory farmswhile the legislation is being considered. (Globe and Mail, 24 Jan.)According to the draft, the legislation would require farms to havemanure-management plans, require farmers to train before being allowed to apply nutrients,and give the government inspectors the right to enter the farms whenever they wantedwithout a warrant. Also, the government wants to give itself the ability to regulate thestorage and spreading of animal wastes around communal wells and water bodies. Theprovincial and municipal officials would both share the enforcement responsibilities, whichhappens to be a major weakness in the legislation, according to Mr. Muldoon. He saidthat because municipal governments do not have the political will nor the resources tomonitor large businesses. (Globe and Mail, 24 Jan.)The new rules, the draft says, would give the province the power to constitutestandards for the storage, transportation, and disposal of dead animals on agriculturaloperations by farmers. (Globe and Mail, 24 Jan.)Records testify that the proposal will be issued soon and that the public will haveuntil 30 March to comment on it. The ministers spokeswoman, Joanne Farquhar, said thatthe decision on the legislation is not yet final, but that the proposals under construction areviewed by the government as the most extensive of their kind in Canada. (Globe and Mail,24 Jan.)There are around 67,000 farm in Ontario and the numbers have been sliding whilethe farms have gotten significantly larger. Fo...
