CCA speaks up in support of Bill C-359

Oct 25, 2023

Bill C-359 has been added to the itinerary for the House of Commons, as legislator Koby Blais is looking to streamline some agricultural acts.

The Seeds Act, the Feeds Act, and The Pest Control Act would all be amended to help Canadian producers.

Canadian Cattleman's Association President Nathan Phinney says he's behind the bill.

He says that could help out with some current environmental goals.

"Currently we have some very ambitious environmental goals to further reduce our environmental impact. One of those products is 3-NOP. In a short note, it can cut down on methane production by 30%. But currently, it has to go through CFIA as there's no real regulatory roadmap for it to go to with these types of environmental claims. So it's classified as a veterinary drug and that's putting Canadian farmers at a major disadvantage right at the moment."

He's hoping that an agency could pass it preliminary and investigate it as time goes on.

Another factor would be keeping Canada competitive with other countries, with Phinney citing a recent decision.

"It would certainly put us in line with the US. Another one is PMRA's, Lambda-Cy decision, and, then in 2023 the growing season, we weren't able to use Lambda-Cy for the use of pest management on the feed, but this doesn't align with what the US has. It puts us at a significant competitive disadvantage. Also, while not being able to use this product to control pests, there is no viable other product on the market right now."

Phinney says he looks forward to working with Blais in the future for agricultural bills.

Source : Pembinavalley online

Video: How to fix a leaking pond.

Does the pond leak? Ummmm....possibly a tiny bit. Well, more than a bit...ok, the darn thing leaks like a sieve!

QUESTIONS ANSWERED: Damit is not plastic. Therefore, there are no microplastics. I wish I had not mentioned plastic, but that is a very common polymer and I mentioned it as an example of a polymer. A polymer is simply a chain of repeating molecules, or "monomers." Cellulose is a polymer of glucose molecules. Starches are also polymers of various molecules such as fructose, maltose, etc. We have many polymers inside our bodies. In other words, just knowing something is a polymer doesn't make it bad, toxic, harmful, etc. However, this also doesn't mean all polymers are safe.

The specific polymer used for Damit is a trade secret, however, it has been closely scrutinized by multiple health and safety authorities. This includes the governmental authorities of Australia, the USA, Europe, and Asia. Not only have they determined that is safe to use in earthen ponds, and not harmful to fish, but it is considered safe to use in human potable water systems in all of these areas. And of course, they know the exact makeup of the polymer when making this determination. I'm told that the same polymer is in use by many municipalities to keep potable water storage tanks leak free. I can't tell you exactly what the polymer is, because I don't know, but given the confidence with which the governmental authorities have authorized its use, I would bet it is made of a monomer that we are exposed to all the time, like fructose or something.

It also breaks down in a matter of years, and does not accumulate in the environment. The end products of breaking down are CO2, water, and base minerals like potassium. The SDS reports no need for concern with ingestion, inhalation, or contact. If in eyes, rinse with water.

End result, can I say for sure that it is 100% safe? No, I don't know exactly what it is. But given people who do know exactly what it is, and have scrutinized it, have approved it for use in human potable water systems, I'm pretty comfortable putting it in an earthen pond.