SouthCoastToday - Community news matters...
all rights reserved 2016 
Box 1165  Shelburne, NS B0T 1W0  
editor[at]SouthCoastToday.ca
902.656.2547

You are here

Letters: Payback time for mink regs?

Darrell Dexter's NDP government finally published the Fur Farm Act.

Some think this is nothing more than a confidential wish list of ways to avoid pesky environmental laws affecting the fur farm industry.....

The so called FUR FARM ACT has actually been around since 2006, but in the form of a loose set of voluntary rules from Department of Agriculture.

ASK CHRIS d'Entrement MLA who was the Minister of Agriculture at that time.

He may ( or may not ) agree that mink farmers had been actively lobbying their politicians to give them more user-friendly environment laws that would allow them to expand their businesses ...............Darrell Dexter held those rules back from the public since his election, having already satisfied the mink lobby with a solid commitment to give them immunity from pesky environment laws while he carried out his term in office.
 

He kept his word to the mink farmers, cashing in part of Nova Scotia's share of Harper's BORROWED STIMULUS BILLIONS in 2008.

How did he do this? Those who care have been trying to find out ever since they figured out what was going on. Specifically, our government has successfully hidden its secret agenda from public scrutiny with a determined and well funded campaign of information management , press/media manipulation, and inter-party sharing of all the under-the-table spinoff deals.
 

While we weren't looking, millions were transferred to new mink farms under provincial Department of Agriculture direction. Secrecy was maintained , we were told, for proprietary reasons and for protection against eco-terrorists . It's a deal that should be investigated as a criminal conspiracy, but don't plan on it.
 

People have lost their confidence in the legal process as they tried to find and stop obvious environmental infractions. But politics and patronage always protects its own, and before long all the legal balances and countermeasures had been bypassed or "fixed".
 

Eventually it reached a point where citizens' complaints were simply being overlooked and the public had absolutely no faith in their government agencies to protect them. Environmental inspectors are a rare commodity around mink farms.

Opposition parties have had little effect, disappointing their most ardent political supporters. They should be ashamed for their deliberate denial of the problem, and for talking from both sides of their mouths.

THE BIGGEST LIE OF ALL can be seen on the Q&A sheet on these regulations that has been put out by the Government of Nova Scotia. (See: http://www.gov.ns.ca/agri/mink/pdf/FurIndustryRegulationsQAs.pdf)

In response to the very first question: "What is in the fur industry regulations?" it says "The regulations clearly state that no discharge of contaminants is permitted from the farm property to a watercourse."

My own thoughts: That's Bullshit, not minkshit. There is not one single recommended treatment that would remove water-soluble phosphorus ,or any other water soluble nutrient from the waste stream runoff of a mink farm.(unless you think a few acres of cat-o-nine tails will soak up the poop from a million mink)

Brand new farms that have been built under the NDP regime do nothing to remove the water-soluble "manure nutrients". They don't tell you this, but the new mink farms around here still let the runoff drain into the woods and still bury their carcasses on their own land.

This Document is not about law. Instead it's a Contract of Entitlements that will allow business as usual for the fur industry.

There's an election coming..

We need to talk personally to all the candidates, and make it clear that we need to FIX OUR PROBLEM....

My vote goes to the first candidate who has the balls to stand up publicly for everybody's right to CLEAN WATER.

John Halley Horton
Forest Glen, NS

Comments

 #

If not for people like John Horton this issue would not have come to the forefront.
He is a man of conviction, and deserves our support.
Do not just sit there thinking he's right ! DO SOMETHING!
Help the cause by writing, phoning, anything.

 
Just Someone's picture
 #

Write who ? Phone who ?

Anyone know how to petition on-line ?

 
Just Someone's picture
 #

There can be stricter by-laws coming from municipal leaders, if municipal leaders had a mind to do something.

From the link in the text above
Q11. How do the new regulations work with regards to municipal permits?
It is the responsibility of the fur farmer to ensure he/ she meets requirements within the local municipality. Municipal
requirements may differ from the Fur Industry Act requirements; both need to be followed.

 
 #

The rules that councils make take precedence over provincial rules. If a council says in their zoning for example, manure must be 1000 ft from a well and the Provincial Gov rule says the must be 300 ft from a well, the council rule must be followed. We have been trying to get our zoning done in Yarmouth Municipality for almost 4 yrs . There has been a lot of delays. we are questioning why it is taking so long. In the meantime another 13 fur farms are underway.

Phone your mayor, write the paper, talk to all your councillors. Zoning is supposed to be revisited every 5 yrs. It has been 15 yrs since ours were done.
Do not expect everyone else to do the work, form a civic association, just get started. Do not get discouraged, just do it.

 
Just Someone's picture
 #

OK We agree this is a local zoning problem

I feel sorry for Dexter and Belliveau always taking the blame.

It is local Municipal leaders who are really at fault, THEY DID NOT HAVE ZONING FOR MINK FARMS,,,,,THEY COULD HAVE

 
 #

Nooooooo.........How did u come to that conclusion?????
If the dept of environment Sterling Belliveau had enforced the existing act and Macdonnel Agriculture Minister had written some enforceable regulations every little town in the Province would not have to re-invent the wheel.

 
 #

FYI.. When I write mayor and you live in the municipality read warden. I have no idea where the writers on this site live. Thanks for leaving comments

 
 #

Regardless of who is responsible for Fur regs., etc..it seems the problem has been a lack of initiative to tackle existing and on-going pollution. There would not be such a hew and cry over these farms if proper and common sensical environmental protections had taken place right from the very beginning. When the problem (pollution) was identified, the Dept of Environment did NOTHING. Complaint after complaint was ignored. Buck passing worthy of the CFL between the Depts of Agriculture, Natural Resourses, and the Environment kept the worst of polluters safe and cozy while they raked in the profits. After all, it is so costly to put in collection and treatment facilities. The problem exists regardless of who is to blame. The problem with the new regs is that they do not address the very real problem of profit-only motivated farmers who just don't give a hoot.

 
Just Someone's picture
 #

The blame lies with municipal leaders, not making zoning by-laws for mink farms MUNICIPAL LEADERS People who you might know. They could have had zoning that said 1 km from any home, or lake etc. But no they never did anything.

 
Just Someone's picture
 #

Is there zoning in Shelburne municipality for mink farms ?

 
 #

We don't have any rights . The Feds, Provincial, Towns and Municipalities tell us that. They bow to the dirty money. Our lakes, rivers and ocean say so, they are the poof. The Fur Farm regulations stalled for 4 and half years to allow the industry to expand and wrote regulations to give Fur farmers 6 more years to comply or not, with what they call regulations. Mink Farmers President, Dan Mullen, states some of the farms may not be able to comply and will be out of business. Hello, if you can't stop polluting you should be out of business. The only reason people pushed for this huge industrial business to be regulated is because farms didn't comply with the suggested farm practices and polluted head waters of 3 contributary rivers, all the way to the ocean,also their neighbors, drinking water, not mention the unbearable stink, filth flies, rodents, coyote's and inability to sell their properties to move and Dept. of Agriculture and Minister of Environment allowed it. Incidentially for the nay sayers,water pollution by mink farms proven by the government ordered water testing. Some of these polluting farms piped their mink bodily waste directly into the rivers and lakes and probably still are. Their inspecter knew it,ignored it and also advised them to throw their carcuses into the wetlands as a form of disposal. Some throw them in a pile behind their farm and have a big burn of carcuses, ask the neighbors that have to smell that for days. Will these so called reuglations make a difference, we will know when the summer comes by the blue green algae. Read these fur farm regulations carefully and you will see all the "or" you can do what you have always done.Are they culpable for their pollution NO. Will they take some of their 150 million $ to clean up the rivers and lakes, not so far.
Can these farms operate without polluting, yes, will they? probably not. Our Municipal and Town councilors can put in zoning to keep fur farms away from rivers lakes,and residential areas, . With hundreds of residents demanding they put in zoning to protect them one council says NO and continues to issue permits. How much money do they get paid per permit? Coucil chooses a mink farm over hundreds of tax paying residents.? Coucil has the tainted smell of Fur. No place safe to live and raise a family in some Municipalities.Discusting

 
 #

A few comments on the fur industry: this is an industry with a very strong international, national and provincial lobby - lots of money and an entourage of legal, media, academic expert support. They are always looking for ways and places to expand their industry. NS is a sitting duck in this regard - a tiny mink industry already existed here for decades & there is a well established political bent for allowing anything perceived to make a buck / create jobs (no matter the facts - perception rules - ever notice DOA never substantiates their claims on the industry's financial value to NS?). A number of countries in Europe have banned this industry (or have such strict animal welfare regs that the activity is effectively banned)on an ethical basis. For example, the Netherlands introduced legislation in June 2010 to ban the industry in their country - the legislation passed December 2012 (however, because their economy is intimately tied to the industry, there will be a 10 year phase out to allow for an orderly disengagement) - the Netherlands is currently the worlds third largest producer of 'farmed' mink pelts, so this is no small undertaking for them. And yet they did the 'right' thing. Ethics before money. If only that was the principle guiding our national, provincial and municiple political decision making. That's where we come in - vote only for those who reflect your values. Do your homework. Show up. Pay attention. Speak out. Vote.
As an aside - I want to say a word about NS Environment. What a beleagured group of people - tasked with enforcing regulations but without the necessary resources, forcing them to pick and chose which environmental problems they can tackle. The pollution related to the high density fur industry at the headwaters of the Meteghan, Sissiboo, Wentworth-Carleton-Tusket river systems is referred to as "diffuse source pollution". This type of pollution is extremely expensive to investigate in terms of time, money, staffing, expertise, etc. So NSE usually is more responsive to "point source pollution" events i.e. a pipe draining effluent. Nevertheless, and to their very great credit, they did eventually tackle the mink industry pollution on these river systems, including engaging the expertise in this regard from Acadia U. For four consecutive years (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) they conducted extensive water sampling and analysis on number of lakes within these river systems. Without the science NSE undertook, we would still be in a position of 'best guessing' as to the source of excess phosphorus in these systems which led to the toxic cyanobacteria blooms that have been occurring. So in this regard, kudos to NSE I say. We could never have afforded to undertake these studies ourselves as a community nor did we have the expert standing required to be credible.
Finally a comment on the electorate / political system in NS - fur 'farming' can be banned - it would be a fight and you can bet such a move would be strongly resisted by the fur industry, but it can be done (Municipal governments DO have the power by the way). I don't think it's a tenable position to say we are not against fur 'farming', as long as its not done in our backyard or its 'done right'. No matter how you look at it 2,000,000 pelted fur bearing animal carcasses (plus carcasses from diseased mink, fox, etc)plus their waste plus waste feed have to go somewhere. Maybe your mink farm neighbour is a nice guy or gal and has the refuse removed from the farm site away from your backward, but it will always end up in someones back yard. And like David Suzuki says - we are all downstream.
All of this mess for fashion dollars - not food, not medicine. Its not worth it.

 
 #

Sorry error

 
 #

Excellent DEHall. Most Municpalities don't have a government with the guts, intelligence or value their municipality and residents enough to take the step to ban these farms that are the ruination of Nova Scotia. They don't even have the brains to pass by-laws and zoning to at least place this industry away from any water courses, drinking water sources, and residents. Which brings us to the credentials of the people we have elected to protect us, our environment, and our homes. It is obvious we have elected the wrong people. They are betraying their residents, by not governing for the betterment and wishes of their constituents but rather support an industry that pollutes all that we are and have, a clean environment, our homes, and families. Any districts that do have protective zoning council changes it at the drop of buck for a polluting or hazzardous industry with no regard to the residents protests. Do any of them live next to a mink farm? I think not. Does your council ever change zoning to permit a fur farm next to their homes? I think not. What's the CAO's position on this, grab the industry money and run?? Does he/she have a fur farm in their back yard? Your municipal government is laughing at you and the best thing they do is keep it a secret from the public until you wake up one morning to the noise of heavy equipment putting in an industrial hazzard next to you. What good new business's and people would ever want to move into these Municipalities and where would they live.? There is no where safe and protected. We are being robbed by our local governments.

 
 #

Absolutely loved the comments from FOS and DEHall . I am tired of being used and abused by local and provincial govt. to benefit a business that contributes NOTHING but pollution to our area. All the profits fur farmers brag about on a regular basis are destroying our property values and our waterways. Jobs, cleaning sh*t of diseased animals, underpaid staff doing their best to feed their families in disgusting conditions, pelters handling diseased animals ( this virus is carried by saliva, manure, on clothes, boots etc and is a concern for 2 yrs) There is nothing that I know of that is redeeming about this industry except of course to the fur farmers who put the profits in their pockets at the expense of their neighbours.

 

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS