Manitoba farmers need more than $100 million in new money to adjust to the province’s proposed rules to protect water quality, according to a position paper released by Keystone Agricultural Producers last week.
The funding is one of several key issues KAP wants dealt with before the provincial NDP government brings in new rules for water protection. The position paper also calls for flexible timelines.
KAP vice-president Ian Wishart said, “we need a reasonable period of time to adjust and clearly we need fairly significant financial support.”
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The province is proposing rules meant to alleviate the increasing amounts of nutrients in water bodies such as Lake Winnipeg. Agriculture is only one source of the nutrients, and there has been concern among producers that the regulations could prove too costly and onerous.
KAP describes its paper as an attempt to help farmers protect water quality while also cutting through the financial and regulatory burdens that were previously proposed.
The paper was endorsed by KAP and 17 commodity groups representing crop and livestock producers across the province.
In the document, KAP cites a variety of government assistance that it considers is needed to help producers adjust. That includes a three-year $100 million program to offset costs such as building new or improved manure storage, preparing a nutrient management plan or manure management plan, or establishing buffers along water bodies to filter out nutrients.
The position paper also calls on government to share in other costs, such as annual soil testing to support nutrient management planning.
Among the other outstanding issues cited by KAP are the proposed water quality management zone maps, establishing a phosphorus soil test target, identifying components of nutrient management plans and support for water sampling. The sampling could show what effect the regulations for agriculture are having on water quality.
“If agriculture can show that it has done its bit and made improvements, perhaps at that point in time they’ll focus on the real causes,” Wishart said.
“We know there are other causes besides agriculture, but we’re the first ones to have to take any major steps.”
