Manitoba puts brakes on new hog barns
CANADA - The Canadian Prairie province of Manitoba has put a temporary ban on new or expanded hog barns during an independent environmental review of new water laws, the provincial government said on Wednesday.Manitoba, home to one of Canada's largest hog processing plants, owned by Maple Leaf Foods, plans to regulate how much phosphorus farmers can spread on their fields in the form of livestock manure.
"We believe long-term action is necessary to reverse long-term damage to our waterways," provincial Conservation Minister Stan Struthers said in a release.
Manitoba also plans to restrict synthetic phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers, especially in buffer zones next to water, making it the first province to regulate the use of synthetic fertilizers.
Source: Reuters