FARMERS CONCERNS AROUND PROVINCES WETLAND POLICY NOT BEING HEARD: GLAVINE
Date: Friday December 18, 2009

(Halifax, NS) Liberal agriculture critic Leo Glavine is urging the NDP
government to have more consultation with Nova Scotia farmers before
implementing a new province-wide policy on wetlands.

“Farmers are concerned that process is moving ahead too fast and not
providing everyone enough time for input,” says Glavine. “Without a
doubt, a new policy is needed and we are pleased that government is
taking this aspect of the environment seriously - but we cannot rush
simply to meet a deadline in legislation.”

The Kings West Liberal MLA says that the redesigned wetlands policy has
the potential to impact not just the environmental front, but the
agricultural sectors as well.

“Almost every farm in Nova Scotia would have a low lying "wetland"
area for proper drainage and this new direction could severely impact
our farming community,” asserts Glavine. “How much consultation was
done between the Department of Environment and Department of Agriculture
to ensure stakeholders in agriculture could voice their concerns?”

Dan Fulton, President of Kings County Federation of Agriculture, has
registered numerous comments on the potential loss of productive
agriculture lands due to this new policy.

Kees Langelaan, a farmer from the Annapolis Valley, is afraid that the
impact on agricultural lands has not been fully taken into account.

“If the new wetlands policy isn’t implemented correctly, every
farmer in the province could be facing even more challenges,”
Langelaan states. “Farming, especially crop farming, would become next
to impossible.”

Glavine says there are many unanswered questions surrounding the policy
and confusion amongst farmers.

“Our farmers are often the best stewards of our environment, as
healthy lands mean a better product - therefore, their concerns need to
be considered.”

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