Does Manitoba's "right-to-farm" legislation need to be extended?

The Manitoba Beef Producers are developing a policy on private property rights and the right-to-farm.

"We seem to be getting bombarded with so many things that are negative to us, we need to have some assurance as to what our rights actually are. We need a foundation,, a platform from which we can move from," says Jay Fox, MBP president.

He says Bipole III and manure regulations are two examples where "right-to-farm" legislation could be used to protect landowners.

"We have human rights, we have animal rights, but farmers have no rights it seems. We don't have rights on our own property. Factory workers have certain rights. They have the ability to protect themselves in certain ways. These producers don't have those rights," he says.

He says MBP will now begin work on developing the policy, before presenting it to members, possibly at the 2011 AGM.

Manitoba was the first province to implement right-to-farm law in the country in 1976 with the Nuisance Act. It was replaced with the Farm Practices Protection Act in 1992.

Right-to-farm legislation shelters farmers from complaints about "nuisance" actions that are necessary for "normal" or "acceptable" farming practices.

~ Friday, November 12, 2010 ~