The Progressive Conservative agriculture critic doesn’t see any new options for dead animal disposal in recent provincial regulations.
The new regulations came into force Friday, pending approval from the Lieutenant Governor. The government is saying the regulations provide greater flexibility for the dead stock service sector and will provide farmers more choices. New minimum depths for burials and separation from ground and surface water are part of the regulations.
"In my opinion, all they do is put in environmental controls in addition to the regulations," said Oxford MP Ernie Hardeman, the PC agriculture critic. "There are no new options for disposal."
Key changes include:
• Giving farmers and dead stock receivers a wider range of choices for disposing of dead stock both on and off the farm, such as anaerobic digestion and central composting
• Including poultry and other farmed animals not previously covered under the old legislation
• Establishing enhanced environmental standards that will protect our water resources, with additional requirements that safeguard animal health and public health protection
The new regulations were developed jointly by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Environment, with input from the livestock industry.
As the agriculture critic, Hardeman hears from farmers across the province. He said the problem isn’t as severe here as in eastern Ontario where farmers in some areas pay excessive prices reportedly reaching $300 per animal for dead stock removal, or it just isn’t available.
Several options are available for poultry and swine removal, but Atwood Pet Food Supply Ltd. is the only company picking up cattle. Rates are a more manageable $50 for animals over 800 pounds and $10 for those under.
Dead stock removal has particularly been a hot button issue for cattle. When BSE was discovered in Canada, restrictions on potential markets for beef products created havoc for the industry and required government assistance to keep renders in business.
While there were markets for most of the animal pre-BSE, that all changed. Now, beef fat can be used for animal feed and a variety of industrial uses. Beef protein can be used in some instances for animal food if the specified risk material (SRM) are removed. These include brains, spinal cord, intestines and other parts that are known to harbour BSE.
The only way to get rid of the SRMs was to dispose of it at an approved landfill near Ottawa. Now, with government assistance, Atwood has invested $8 million to create a gasification plant at its facility.
"It will destroy the protein, and will provide heat energy to do the rendering," said Joe Kosalle, project manager.
While most renders use steam, hot thermal oil heated by natural gas is used in Atwood. Now, the natural gas use will be cut substantially.
Hardeman did note the new regulations were supposed to come into effect in late April, When, however, a protest by farmers and dead stock removers that included dead animals was planned for Queen’s Park recently, the new rules were released two hours before the protest started.
