Dear Minister Squires,
The most recent response to my initial letter of 6 April, 2018 is extremely disturbing.
How can your department defend what is morally and despicably wrong by agriculture standards when supporting the Manitoba Expert Committee on Phosphorus (MPEC)?
Phosphorus was never regulated in the years prior to the hog industry coming to Manitoba. In fact, there was only a guideline that 40 pounds per acre was a high limit.
Soil specialist Prof. D. Flaten was the main player in the MPEC. He knew full well that when the NDP Government of Manitoba placed a top regulation of 827 lbs. of available phosphorus per acre, he and they were helping the hog industry by compensating for the lack of manure-spread acres with a 'license to pollute'. Most crops use only 20 lbs. of phosphate a year.
Furthermore, when responding to questions directed to him as he addressed the situation of excessive
phosphorus and the risk to surface waters like Lake Winnipeg, he said, "We know that soils don't have
an infinite capacity to retain phosphorus. At some point, sooner rather than later farmers will have to balance applications of phosphorus with crop removal."
Unfortunately, the Manitoba Pork Council and factory hog producers do not like or want to be reminded that they have a responsibility to balance applications of phosphorus (hog slurry) with crop removal.
Dwight Williamson, who directed the water-science branch at Manitoba Water Stewardship, was equally if not more interested in reducing phosphorus loads from all Manitoba sources.
But Williamson said the Manitoba hog industry warrants special attention because it is the only agricultural sector that is growing exponentially - from 870,000 farm raised hogs in 1975 to approximately 8.8 million factory raised hogs in the year 2006.
Our present Manitoba government, with their 2017 Red Tape Efficiency Act, has moved backwards to a previous time and state of uncertainty, plus the consequences that were encountered in the late 1990s and early years of 2000.
Lake Winnipeg, our water sources and environmental concerns are being ignored and sacrificed for the increased development of pork for export. Studies reveal that Manitoba's portion of the Red River system accounts for 48 per cent of the phosphorus pollution to Lake Winnipeg, identified in my letter of 6 April. The area is often referred to as Hog Alley; it is the core of hog production.
Hopefully the present Manitoba government will eventually come to realize that Lake Winnipeg and many of our water sources are suffering from high concentrations of phosphorus with hog manure previously identified as one of the main contributors.
I look forward to your corrective action "to reduce the amount of phosphorus" presently affecting Lake Winnipeg and our water sources in Manitoba.
Exulting over the previous phosphorus rates established by the MPEC does not address the pollution situation that exists.
John Fefchak.
Virden, Man.
