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last update:Nov 13, 2006
Manitoba suspends pig industry expansion
The Canadian province of Manitoba has temporarily
halted the expansion of the province's booming pig industry during an
independent environmental review of new water laws.
In addition, it has announced new restrictions on the use of commercial and
residential fertilisers.
The moves are an attempt to stop harmful substances such as phosphorous,
found in manure and fertilisers, from leaching into Lake Winnipeg and other
bodies of water that are facing growing pollution problems.
Keeping phosphorous away
''We want to keep phosphorous away from the edges of
rivers and away from the edges of lakes,'' conservation minister
Stan Struthers
said.
The province will not approve any new or expanded pig barns until the clean
environment commission completes a review of the impacts of the pig industry.
This process might take more than a year and could result in new restrictions
for producers.
Starting in 2009, homeowners, farmers and municipalities will not be
allowed to spread fertilisers near lakes or rivers.
Environmentalist concerns
Environmentalists who have raised concerns about the growing volume of pig
manure in Manitoba, a province where the animals outnumber people almost
eight-to-one, welcomed the changes.
The government said it will give financial help to farmers most affected by
the changes.
Editor PigProgress
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