Environmental Farm Plan

[cowman]

cowma, there are times when regulatory bodys do their upmost to provide an excellent level of inspection and required compliance but then they get BEAT UP by those who they are regulating !!!

[cowman]

Well emerald that may be true? Many come to mind who are probably trying? Usually government agencies that seem to degenerate once they realize that all the rules are sort of a joke and subject to "political influence"!
The EUB comes to mind. So does the Pest Control Act? Example: In 2002 when the drought was bad in Alberta, the Alberta government clearly violated its own rules by encouraging an influx of fusarium infected feed into the province. In reality the rules stated they must keep out a known pestulence...with fusarium gramminearum being listed as one of the pests!
Instead we got "Best management practices for FG"! A total violation of the governments own laws! How would any regulator feel about that set of events?
All the arguments against this violation were casually disregarded as the government swept them away to save the cattle industry! Well what about the grain industry? Sorry guys you just didn't have enough political clout!
Do you ever wonder why some people might be a little sceptical when it comes to regulatory bodies? Do you think the farmer should be sceptical about any program that asks him to clean up his little problem while other industries continue to do whatever they want? Are the farmers spending good money cleaning up their water sources real happy when that water gets pumped down a hole so some slick company can sell out for twice their book value and ruin the resource at the same time?
I would suggest before the government gets all gung ho on whipping the farmers into line they actually enforce some of the rules they already have in place for other industries?

[cowman]

you are right cowman that all regulations should apply equally to every sector and government should set the bar pretty high for industy's use of water.

I read an editorial in the Calgary Herald calling the EUB 'men without chests' likely meaning men without hearts for their willingless to allow sour gas drilling near Calgary.
The EUB is a huge organization, bogged down in beaurocracy.
The NRCB comes to mind, in that they are an organization of less than 50 people charged with administering both the NRCB Act and the Agricultural Operations Practices Act.
In some areas they get criticized by municipalities for not being tough enough and responding at break neck speed to every complaint, and some areas of the livestock industry criticize them for doing their job and trying to bring the 'bad actors' into compliance.

[cowman]

I can admire some in the EUB and NRCB for trying to do a decent job under very frustrating conditions. It is tough when you have a government that can be swayed or "bought" on a whim! If you have some "pull" or know the right politician to bribe...all things are possible in Alberta! Sad but true?

[cowman]

I think that it is who has the most clout. Industry or the public ? That goes for the oil and gas industry and the livestock industry.
The reason for regulating the livestock industry was to ensure the growth of that sector can be accomplished in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The public has one view of that and the industry has another. The NRCB is caught in the middle and are doing their utmost to administer the legislation and be as balanced as possible. The oil and gas industry pays a huge chunk toward the EUB, the livestock industry pays nothing toward the NRCB.