Farmers are not the target of the Water Protection Act, says Manitoba water stewardship minister Steve Ashton.
In fact, farmers should be an inspiration to other industries and organizations worried by the oncoming legislation.
“Agriculture is already part of the solution,” said Ashton in a speech to the Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association.
Ashton said farmers have already been affected by many laws and regulations, including changes in the way manure is handled and how dead stock is treated.
They have also taken advantage of tax credits by protecting riverbanks.
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He said farmers are probably more prepared to deal with water protection laws than some municipalities such as Winnipeg, which last year discharged raw sewage into the Red River 35 times.
Ashton said enforcement of the Water Protection Act will be science-based. The regulations farmers will have to follow will be clearly spelled out so no one is caught unaware.
All the regulations that eventually become part of the act will be decided only after consultations that ensure all affected people are involved, Ashton said.
The minister praised Keystone Agricultural Producers for encouraging his department to develop incentives to promote water protection by farmers.
“We need to be looking at a whole series of approaches and incentives that work with the farm community and work on an incentive basis as well as a regulatory basis,” said Ashton.
Farmers shouldn’t feel targetted by the act because the government realizes all people and industries affect water quality, he said.
