AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BRITISH COLUMBIA FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE Frmga 846 Broughton Street Victoria, B.C. VSW IES Telephone: 383-7924 AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL PROGRAM Livestock and poultry farmers in British Colunbia are now regulating their ow pollution problems through an inspection and advisory program, The program was developed by the industry commodity groups in conjunction with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and the B.C. Federation of agri- culture. Coordination and aduinistration of the program is performed by an AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL office in Victoria. INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEES At the present time, four commodity groups, namely poultry, swine, beef- cattle and dairy, participate in the program. These four commodities have forned provincial sanitation or environmental committees and have inspection tears on call in the various areas of the Province. . The POULTRY SANITATION COMMITTEE is respmsible to the poultry industry through the B.C. Egg Producer's Associaiton, the B.C. Broiler Hatching Eqg Producer's Associaiton, the B.C. Broiler Grower's Association and the B.C. Turkey Association. They presently have inspection teams in the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Okanagan. Swine: The SWINE INCUSTRY ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE has been organized under the auspices of the 3.C. Swine Grower's Association. Inspect ion teams have been formed in the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan. Dairy Industry: The DAIRY INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE is directly cesccnsible to the Dairy Committee of the B.C. Federation of Agriculture. Inspection tears are new in place throughout the Province, including Vancouver Island, Fraser Valley, Okanagan, Cariboo, Peace River and Smithers. Beef Cattle: The SKEF CATTLE ENVERONMENTAL COMMITTEE ig operated os a committee of the B.C, Cattlemen's Association. Cattlezen from the Fraser Valley, the Southern Interior, North Okanagan and Central British Columbia and Smithers compromise the basis of their inspection teams. REFERRAL OF COMPLAINTS All complaints regarding poor sanitation, improper waste disposal, nuisance conditions or pollution on any livestock farm in the Province should be Girected to the Sanitation or Environmental Committee for investigation. Corplaint forms available from all Public Health Units, Municipal Offices, Regional Districts, Pollution Control Offices and B.C. Ministry of Agri- culture District Offices, have been developed for convenience in reporting complaints. -2- REFERRAL OF COMPLAINTS {Continued) All complaints should be directed to the AGRICULTURAL EXVIDO2MENTAL CONTROL Office, B.C. Federation of Agriculture, 846 Broughton Street, Victoria, 8.C. from which they will be & arded to the appropriate Committee. In those cases where the AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL Office receives a coo- plaint about a farm not covered under one of the four environnental cocmittees, such a corplaint will be referred to the B.C. Ministry of Agticulture for investigation. INVESTIGATION OF COMPLAINTS Once a complaint has been received by the appropriate Coomittee, an insgection team will conduct an investigation on the problem farm. The inspection tean will normally consist of two farmers coming froa the area of the Province? where the complaint criginated and being familiar with the type of farsing operation in question. (e.g. Dairy farzers will investigate corcplaints involving dairy farms.) The inspection team will recommend clean-up procedures to an offending farzer, these recommendations based on the experience of the inspection tean zerbers and on a set Of ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDELINES develcped by the 8.C. Ministry of Aariculture in cooperation with the various coasodity groups. The observa- tions and recormendations of the inspection tean will be sent, in writing, to the farmer involved, with copies to the corplainant. ENFORCEMENT OF COMMITTED RECOMMENDATIONS Within a reasonable time following the initial insg ion, the inspection team will normally make a follow-up visit to the farm to check on the pro- gress and success of the clean-up progran. It is felt that most farzers will recognize thele responsibilities to the agricultural industry and to the public and will comply with the recormendations of their Peer group. However, some farmers may he unwilling to cooperate with the Sanitation Committees. Ia such cases, arrangements have been nade through the Agri~ cultural Engineering Branch, B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, in conjunction with te Pollution Control Branch, to bring to bear the full force of the Pollution Control Act, thus forcing a change in managenent and/or facilities on those farns, The basis for the regulatory portion of the program is an exerption clause in the Pollution Control Act which specifically exerpts fron the provisions of the Act all farms where wastes are ged ina rc ble nex. If, as judged by the agricultural industry and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, a farmer is not handling wastes in a recsonable Manner, that farm will no longer be exerpt from the Pollution Control Act and will be required to abide by any order or conditions set forth by the Director of Pollution Control.