The Nova Scotia (N.S.) government is seeking public input on a draft regulation that will improve waste management in the province's fur farming industry.
The draft regulation focuses on the storage and disposal of manure, waste feed and carcasses, and bans the discharge of contaminants from a farm property to a watercourse.
N.S.'s fur farming industry has been a concern for environmental groups, as they claim that manure, waste feed and carcasses from largely unregulated mink farms in the southwestern part of the province have been allowed to seep untreated into local watercourses for years.
The groups, which include the David Suzuki Foundation, believe that this untreated waste has caused massive, unsightly blue-green algal blooms and elevated levels of fecal coliforms (bacteria found in animal feces) in several lakes and rivers.
Comments, which will be accepted until August 19, 2011, can be submitted by email at minkregs@gov.ns.ca.
For more information, visit www.gov.ns.ca/agri.
This news item first appeared in EcoLog News (7/22/11). To learn how to subscribe, visit www.ecolog.com