The Challenge of Reconciling Water and Agricultural Policies —The Role of Public Hearings - Water and Agriculture: Sustainability, Markets and Policies - page 382

followed by a partial lifting of limitations in watersheds where water quality met
provincial standards for phosphorus concentration. Restrictions were maintained for an
extra year in those watersheds said to be “degraded,” i.e., where phosphorus
concentrations exceeded norms. Now, in a recent proposal introduced to amend the
RROA, the government plans to remove the last remaining limitations on new hog farm
development in December 2005. The prolonged moratorium was necessary to allow the
various government departments involved to develop, adjust or reinforce certain policies
to bring them in line with the new government policy directions for the sustainable
development of hog farming.
Policy directions for the sustainable development of hog farming
In the spring of 2004, the government identified seven key components for an action
plan to end the moratorium on hog production (MENV et al., 2004):
Protect the environment with a commitment not to exceed watershed carrying capacity
and to intensify farm controls as per the RROA;
Progressively introduce environmental cross-compliance, starting with certain RROA
provisions for the pig sector in 2004;
Modify the legal framework governing land use planning to allow counties to impose a
regional quota for hog operations and request odour mitigation measures for new
operations;
Implement a local consultation process for all hog farm projects applying for a
certificate of authorisation;
Provide financial aid to farmers to assist with the implementation of buffer strips and
the adoption of good management practices that reduce non-point source pollution and
odours;
Support research and development, especially in liquid manure treatment technology
and agri-environmental indicator; and
Improve monitoring of health risks associated with hog farming and examine options
for banning the use of meat and bone meal in feed as well as systematic use of
antibiotics as growth factors.
All of these commitments are directly linked to the BAPE commission's
recommendations on the sustainable development of hog farming. Some of the key
measures to implement the above actions were reconfirmed or more precisely defined by
the Québec government in March 2005 and are briefly presented below (Gouvernement
du Québec, 2005).