|
Large-scale livestock farming continues to expand across North America. The Washington-based Valley Institute for Research and Education recently linked factory farms with the presence of harmful bacteria in wells. In addition, the events in Walkerton, Ontario, made the consequences of inadequate water monitoring painfully clear, and brought water safety to the forefront of public concern. All this has led to a growing sense of fear among those living in the vicinity of factory farms. Governments have neither the resources nor the incentive to carefully scrutinize animal waste disposal from every factory farm. As a result, people are starting to question the ability of governments to protect water from these under-regulated industrial operations. Putting Factory Farms to the Test will help interested groups develop community-based water sampling programs to monitor the effects of local factory farms. Through consultation and research, Environmental Defence Canada (EDF) will develop comprehensive sampling protocols and assist community groups with their implementation. EDF will provide sampling materials, cover the costs of sample analysis, and publish the results in a report and on its web site http://www.edcanada.org, http://www.pollutionwatch.org. EDF will also work with community groups to use the results effectively for meaningful policy changes and will produce a manual on starting community-based water sampling programs, which will be available to interested groups in hardcopy and online.
Environmental Defence Canada
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
http://www.edcanada.org
For more information about this grant, please contact the CEC Secretariat.
|
|
Canada