Ontario livestock producers can expect tougher environmental rules as part of the aftermath from the E. coli outbreak at Walkerton, Ont., an E. coli expert at the University of Guelph predicts.
“I think we will see some sort of mandatory system in place (for manure management),” said Dr. Carlton Gyles, a microbiologist who has studied E. coli since 1964.
“That will be part of the fallout from this.”
Seven people died and 2,300 people became ill at Walkerton this spring in Canada’s worst outbreak of E. coli poisoning.
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A judicial inquiry is under way in Ontario to find out how such a tragedy could occur and how to prevent a similar calamity in the future.
Justice Dennis O’Connor’s inquiry will focus on the roles played by those in charge of Walkerton’s water system.
The outbreak was linked to cattle manure that was carried by runoff into a faulty town well. Excess moisture in the Walkerton area this spring contributed to the outbreak.
“I think there will be a big push for alternative systems to dispose of manure,” Gyles said.
“The most common system now is spreading it out on the land.”
Critics of intensive livestock operations used the Walkerton outbreak to fan public concern about what they dubbed factory farms.
Preventive measures
But the source of E. coli was a smaller family farm, which observers said had tried to responsibly manage its livestock manure.
The Ontario Cattlemen’s Association said farm owner Dave Biesenthal stores his manure on a cement pad to prevent runoff, and avoids spreading manure on snow or frozen ground. Manure spread in the spring is incorporated into the soil as soon as possible.
Association president Stan Eby said Biesenthal fenced all waterways on his farm to keep his cattle out. He also used a grant from Ontario’s Environmental Farm Plan to put eavestroughs on his barn that direct rainwater away from his manure pile.
“Dave is a good operator,” Eby said. “He’s been a very proactive operator.”
But Ontario cattle producers may learn they need to do more. Eby said new legislation already is in the works that could make it more onerous to farm.
Cattle producers and processors have been funding efforts to further understand the deadly strain of E. coli O157:H7, which is found in the manure of cattle and other ruminants.
The outbreak at Walkerton held the nation’s attention for much of this year. Residents elsewhere in Canada wondered whether the same thing could happen to them.
“It really is a very serious event and a very tragic event,” Gyles said.
