Winnipeg, Manitoba-Agriculture interests were consulted and offered recommendations before the provincial government made public plans for what may be the strictest regulations so far in Canada or the U.S. on the use of phosphorus fertilizer near rivers and lakes, according to the area’s largest general farm policy organization. Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) said the restrictions released Nov. 8 are generally consistent with the recommendations of agriculture and are the result of ongoing negotiations between the parties. However, KAP officials stated in a news release that despite some positive steps they remain very concerned that the provincial government has unfairly targeted agriculture, particularly the hog sector, as the primary focus of efforts to protect water quality. “The farming community was unaware of the freeze on development in the hog industry until it was put in place,” KAP asserted, and “is very concerned about the impact on Manitoba’s farm families, the agriculture industry and related agri-business sectors.” KAP said another outstanding issue will be the incentive programs the government must develop to assist in the transition to the new regulations. Starting in 2009, this newest phase of the province’s water protection plan, outlined by Conservation Minister Stan Struthers, will ban the application of lawn or agricultural fertilizers containing phosphorus within strict buffer zones along waterways. The buffer zones will range from three to 15 meters along rivers to 15 to 30 meters along lakes. The ban will apply to everyone, including homeowners, farmers, and golf course staff, and the use of manure will be regulated as well. Struthers said the phosphorus ban may eventually be extended to all homeowners, even those who live far from water.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain