Alberta’s 18-month-old intensive livestock legislation is under review.
Public comment is sought by
July 31 about how building permits should be handled when submitted to the Natural Resources Conservation Board.
“Issues were identified by Alberta Agriculture, NRCB and the industry where the regulations needed a little tweaking,” said Louise Starling of the department.
Agriculture minister Shirley McClellan had promised a review of the act once it was operational. The review allows shortfalls or gaps in the regulations to be addressed. New knowledge about manure, environmental impacts and livestock management could also be incorporated in revised regulations.
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MLA Albert Klapstein is overseeing the review and hopes revisions can be approved in the legislature’s fall sitting.
Most questions are about how to manage older, existing operations. Older farms were allowed to continue as they were unless they applied for expansion or a complaint was submitted.
Among the areas of debate are requirements for minimum distance separation between residences. The act contains standardized buffer zones between neighbours.
The distance requirement may be waived if the neighbour runs an intensive livestock operation, or if the neighbouring residence is owned by the operator of the proposed ILO. Non-ILO residents may not waive the distance separation.
Other concerns are levelled at manure handling and composting requirements, currently the jurisdiction of Alberta Environment.
The review has asked if more clarification is required on manure composting sites and their management. It also asks whether composting facilities associated with ILOs be regulated under the Agriculture Operations Practices Act or remain under the jurisdiction of the environment department.
People interested in responding to the review may obtain a questionnaire from the Alberta Agriculture website or contact the government office at 403-340-5306.
