Alberta’s intensive livestock regulations are going back to the country for further evaluation.
The authors of the regulations want to get the rules right the first time, said Aaron Falkenberg. He is head of an advisory group overseeing the proposals.
“We’re trying to build consensus ahead of time,” he said.
It is hoped the legislation will be tabled at the fall sitting of the Alberta legislature. It was originally intended for passage this spring until people told the government more work is needed on animal threshold numbers, municipal involvement and enforcement of regulations.
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A revised piece of legislation and regulations will be available for a second look by farmers, municipalities, environmental groups and other interested parties.
Manure handling
The code of practice on the safe handling of manure will be rolled into the new legislation that covers standards of operations, land use and regulations, said Falkenberg.
The code was reworked last year but it was agreed there was no way to enforce it. The code contained recommendations rather than rules.
Last year, most Alberta municipalities rewrote their land-use bylaws to handle building permits for new intensive livestock operations. Many used the code of practice as the basis of these policies. Some may have to take a second look at their rules bearing in mind the new regulations are not intended to infringe on their bylaws.
