PROCEEDINGS

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 Download Posters and Displays [1934 KB pdf]

 

INTRODUCTION

• SYMPOSIUM AGENDA
• BACKGROUND INFORMATION

 

REDUCING GAS EMISSIONS

• Seepage and Contaminant Transport from Earthen Manure Storage Ponds in Alberta: Traditional and Innovative Investigation Techniques- A new technology for sealing of earthen manure storage structures
• A new technology for sealing of earthen manure storage structures
• Reduced environmental impact of pig production by improved mineral utilization
• Optimizing Use of Liquid Hog Manure on Sandy Soils with Respect to Groundwater Protection
• Liquid swine manure used in vegetable production systems : harvest yields and salubrity.

PUBLIC HEALTH

• Literature Review on the Impacts of Hog Production on Public Health

COMMUNICATIONS

• National Environmental Communications Strategy Planning Meeting Proposal
• Environmental Issues Resource Centre
• Dissemination of a Guide to an Agro-environmental Approach to Swine Production
• Development of Plans for Agro-environmental Intervention in Swine Production

POSTERS & DISPLAYS

• Infrastructure for hog manure management and utilization systems studies - J. MacLeod
• ManureNet - A Canadian Web Site Dedicated to Manure Management Issues - B.T. Bowman
• Timing of application: does it impact on soil P transfer? - R. Simard
• Deep plowing: a possible solution for meadows amended with LHM?- R. Simard
• Best Management Practices for application of Swine Manure to Forage Crops in the Eastern Prairies - B. Irvine
• Strategy for assessing suitability of soils for application of hog manure. - R. Eilers
• Composition variation in stored swine manure slurry - N. Patni
• Improving crop health with swine manure - G. Lazarovits
• Identification, environmental fate, and mitigation - E. Topp
• Nutrient management Plan - R. Chambers
• An Overview of the Canadian Pork Council's CQA TM (Canadian Quality Assurance) Program

HEMS AGENDA

HEMS - Background Information

The Hog Environmental Management Strategy (HEMS) is a partnership between the federal government, the hog industry and the provincial governments. It is being led jointly by the CPC and AAFC, with the objective of developing a concerted national approach to finding effective and affordable solutions to the environmental challenges confronting the industry.

The first step toward developing a strategy was to learn more about the current situation in the industry and define the environmental challenges by consulting with key players. Provincial consultations with producers and provincial government representatives were recently held across the country to identify the most pressing environmental issues and explore options for addressing them.

These consultations confirmed that there is generally a high level of support for a national initiative addressing the environmental issues related to hog production. Each provincial government and industry group indicated that it saw value in involvement of the federal government and the CPC in such an initiative, although the suggested form and extent of this involvement varied by province.

It was strongly felt that HEMS must be integrated with, or at least complementary to, existing and proposed initiatives of provincial governments and industry associations. Provincial governments are especially sensitive to the possibility that federal programs and activities may detract from or duplicate their own efforts. Interest was also expressed in a regional coordination role for AAFC in regard to hog-related environmental initiatives in the three Prairie provinces and the three Maritime provinces.

The key environmental issues identified during the consultations were odours and water quality. The latter includes the risk of contamination of surface and ground waters by nitrates from manure and, in some areas, by phosphates and bacteria. Air quality was also specified as a concern in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, in relation to ammonia emissions.

Water quality is often the stated environmental issue in many cases when the greatest concern is actually odours. This is because complaints over odours are not recognized under provincial right to farm legislation if the odours are emitted in the course of normal farm practices. A further complicating factor is that broader social, economic and public health issues often underlie environmental concerns.

A recurrent message in the consultations, particularly in the industry sessions, was that there is a need to better inform the public of the actual environmental risks associated with hog production, as well as the technologies and management practices that are being implemented to minimize these risks. It was suggested that communications and public education programs be developed to counter alleged misinformation in the media.

The consultations identified three areas in which HEMS can make a significant contribution:

• on-going research into hog-related environmental topics such as odour mitigation, land suitability and crop requirements for manure applications. Related functions are the coordination of research activities across Canada to encourage collaboration and avoid duplication, and dissemination of research findings to provincial governments and industry;

• screening of new technologies and management practices to identify innovations which are effective and affordable;

• assistance to provincial producer associations in developing and implementing effective communications and public education strategies and programs.

The next step in developing a national strategy was to hold a workshop bringing together various players from across the country in both government and industry to lead to the development of an action plan.

The specific objectives of the workshop were to:

• Report back on the consultation process and the findings it produced regarding national gaps in existing strategies.

• Delineate the initiatives required to fill these gaps.

• Develop an implementation plan for the national elements required to fill in the gaps identified in existing strategies.

HEMS II Table of Contents

HEMS Home

ManureNet

Bruce T. Bowman, Archivist
Last Updated: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 03:49:55 PM