N.B. company receiving Maine waste says it won't show up in provincial farms, gardens
Envirem Organics says high levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in Maine were from paper mills, not municipal sewage
Envirem Organics, a compost and environmental remediation company, says it applies strict standards to what kind of waste it accepts — and even then, it can't spread the Maine sludge on farms and won't use it in the compost it bags for retail sale.
"We don't bag municipal biosolids," Envirem CEO Bob Kiely said in an interview.
He said any waste from municipal systems in Maine is destined for Envirem's work cleaning up contaminated sites, where some bacterial strains in waste can help break down contaminants such as petroleum.
And besides, Kiely added, Envirem has set its own standard for acceptable levels of PFAS — perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — linked by peer-reviewed studies to some cancers, decreased fertility, low birth weights and other effects.
Biosolids, or sludge, seen here in an agricultural field in Quebec. That province recently imposed a moratorium on imports of sludge for agricultural spreading. (Francois Genest/Radio-Canada)
Envirem accepts waste with a maximum of 20 to 30 per cent of the PFAS amounts permitted in guidelines being drafted by the federal and New Brunswick governments, Kiely said.
He called that "very low levels, in parts per billion, that are only showing up because labs have evolved."
The New Brunswick government confirmed that Ottawa is looking at adopting standards for PFAS that would apply to imported biosolids.
Envirem found itself in the spotlight last week after it emerged that Casella Waste Systems is trucking 2,200 metric tonnes of waste from municipal sewage plants in Maine to New Brunswick.
Casella's landfill north of Bangor is overcapacity because of a new ban in Maine on municipal biosolids, or sludge, being spread on farmland in the state.
Quebec recently imposed a moratorium on imports of sludge to the province for agricultural spreading.
The Maine ban was prompted by alarm in the state over high levels of PFAS found in farm products.
A new law which took effect Feb. 8 bans the use of the sludge for agricultural production in Maine. Maine's Defend Our Health, an activist organization, lobbied for the ban. (Francois Genest/Radio-Canada)
Kiely, who helped found Envirem and has been CEO since 2010, said "almost all" of those levels were traced back not to municipal sludge in Maine but to several large paper plants in the state using PFAS at levels that no longer exist.
Those levels were measured at parts per million, a thousand times more than the parts per billion.
"That was because of an industrial contaminant that entered the municipal system. That is not a typical municipal biosolid," Kiely said.
"This is not current, this is historic when there was other types of PFAS that was used."
Kiely's assertion was disputed Tuesday by Sarah Woodbury of Maine's Defend Our Health, an activist organization that lobbied for the ban on sludge spreading in the state.
"It's 100 per cent not correct," she said.
Woodbury said after some initial findings that farms were contaminated with PFAS, the state's Department of Environmental Protection imposed a maximum standard for the chemicals in sludge used in agriculture.
State screening found 95 per cent of the samples had higher levels than the state's allowable threshold — and that sludge came from both industrial and municipal sources, Woodbury said.
"The argument that the contamination is coming from the industrial sludge is incorrect. The DEP's own data show that that's incorrect."
Any level of exposure 'not acceptable,' says activist
In 2021, media reports in Maine said 164 PFAS-contaminated wells were near crops fertilized with sludge from the Kennebec Sanitary Treatment District, whose biggest source of wastewater was a paper mill in Waterville using the chemicals.
The district spread the sludge on farms under a state program, now eliminated, that aimed to reuse waste rather than add it to landfills.
Woodbury also disagreed with Kiely's claim that Envirem's own PFAS thresholds ensure levels are below any potential risk to human health.
She pointed out that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled strict new rules for PFAS levels in drinking water on Tuesday.
"Any level of exposure from our perspective is not acceptable," she said.
'They're everywhere'
Kiely said PFAS in municipal water systems would be "a very bad thing," but said the chemicals are part of daily life at low levels.
"PFAS are ubiquitous.... They're everywhere in society, unfortunately, but they are being reduced, especially in industrial users," he said.
"They're continuing to go down as we phase products out," he said. "Levels are continuing to decline.… The worst ones have been banned."
He said all the compost in Envirem products is subject to federal rules.
"We test and these levels are very, very low, close to non-detectable. These are coming from small towns without potential industrial contaminants today. There is no risk of high PFAS levels coming from these sludges today."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
274, Rte 148
Killarney Road, NB
E3G 9E2
As president and general manager of Envirem Organics Inc., Robert Kiely has led his group to become Canada’s largest private compost and organic residuals management company. He has grown his business in 10 years to approximately $30 million in revenue, more than 150 employees and has established a U.S. company and operation to facilitate Envirem’s export growth.
For this episode of Take 5 with the Top 50, Greg MacDonald, senior manager tax services with Top 50 CEO presenting sponsor Grant Thornton—digs deeper to find out what makes this award-winning leader tick.
The conversation kicks off by exploring how and why Kiely, a professional engineer, transitioned from road building to the environmental sector (hint: it relates to the substrate the two sectors have in common).
MacDonald then asks for the business case for going green. A lot of people think being environmentally conscious is the right thing to do, but that it’s more of an expense than an investment. Using Envirem as an example, Kiely talks about green’s impressive ROI.
Other topics covered in this insightful discussion include Kiely’s management style (coach, GM or umpire?), the surprising intersection of innovation and organic waste, plus Kiely’s long-term plans for Envirem – and how he plans to get there.
For each episode of Atlantic Business Magazine’s Take 5 with the Top 50 CEOs video series, we ask five questions of a Top 50 CEO award winner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlPMrw87sjc&ab_channel=AtlanticBusiness
Take 5 with Robert Kiely
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https://www.facebook.com/ProtectPEI/
NFU Region 1, District 1 Elected Officials
Douglas Campbell
District Director
902-436-2518
Ranald
MacFarlane
Local 102 President
Edith Ling
Women's District Director
902-368-1262
Darren Toombs
Byron Petrie
National Board Member &
Region 1 Coordinator
902-213-5862
WOMEN'S DISTRICT DIRECTOR'S REPORT TO THE DISTRICT 1, REGION 1 CONVENTION
Milton Community Hall
April 20, 2022
Good morning, everyone. It is great to be able to meet together this year with fewer restrictions than we had last year at the time of the District Convention. Covid has made things difficult for many organizations and the NFU is not unique in this regard. Although it was possible to carry on meetings such as our National Convention via Zoom for the past two years, it is so much better to be able to meet in person. So welcome to this, your District Convention.
As Women's District Director, I attended District Board meetings during the year as well as meetings of the Coalition for the Protection of P. E. I. Lands, and I also work on the Coalition for the Protection of P.E.I. Water. During the year the NFU had meetings with the Premier and with the Leader of the Official Opposition.
Once again this year, NFU members enjoyed a substantial discount at time of bulk delivery of diesel fuel, gasoline, furnace oil and lubricants. Island Petroleum added bulk propane to the list of products for which a discount is applied. Be sure to let Island Petroleum know you are a member of the NFU in order to be assured of receiving the discount. A new agreement has been negotiated for 2022 with the same company. As well, NFU members took part in our Collective Bargaining Agreement on fertilizer purchased through P. E. I. Agromart.
Because of Covid restrictions, we were not able to hold our annual lobster supper for the past two years. Hopefully we can soon do that again.
The National Farmers Union takes no money from Government and so we can say what has to be said, when it has to be said. We are often the targets of attack - be it personal or an attack on the organization itself. Well, I am here to tell you that the NFU is not an insignificant farm organization. On the contrary, we do represent a very significant number of farm families in this Province, who operate farms of all sizes, producing all commodities. We have been accused of being racist. There is nothing racist at all about trying to ensure that farm land in this Province remains in the hands of farm families who will live on the farm and keep the land in agricultural production. It is apparent that the derogatory remarks made by some people towards the NFU and its leadership are nothing more than a smoke screen to evade the issues rather than meeting them head on and properly answering the questions. I would want the perpetrators of these actions to know that their demeaning remarks will not stop the NFU from standing up for what is right and from working on behalf of all farm families in this Province and beyond.
We have found it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach the Premier and some Cabinet Ministers to request a meeting or get an answer to a question. Dozens of phone calls over a period of a few months went unanswered before we were able to meet with the Premier. This is not acceptable. It is high time that politicians realize who their employer is and extend due respect to the people who elected them. So, you can decide for yourself why no politicians are on our agenda here today!
As you are aware, the Lands Protection Act has been amended. We were advised by the Minister of Agriculture and his lawyers that we will have to wait to see if the amended Act will eliminate the circumvention of the Act which we have witnessed for years in the past. When asked how long he would wait to correct the situation if it is found that the amended Act is not strong enough, the Minister of Agriculture replied with the usual vague political answer. Time will tell if the amended Act is strong enough to put an end to the violations of the Act.
Potato Wart - This situation has proven devastating for many farm families in the Province. Although table stock potatoes can now move into the US market, the seed industry is in a critical situation as seed cannot be shipped to the US or to any province in Canada. Many questions remain unanswered -why were trees not planted in the index fields in 2000 and in subsequent years? Will they be planted in these fields this year? Why was Cavendish Farms allowed to plant the highly susceptible variety Russet Burbank in these fields only five years after detection? What are the requirements that the US agreed to recently which resulted in the opening of the border for table stock potatoes? Why has this not been made public? There is no transparency there. In downplaying the seriousness of the potato wart situation, the Manager of the Potato Board, Greg Donald stated that he could put all the wart potatoes that had been found in his half-ton truck box. Well, I would suggest to Mr. Donald that one potato is one too many in this case. We need an eradication plan for potato wart, not only a management plan.
It is clear that the Irving empire is in the driver's seat in this Province on this and on many other issues. It has been interesting to watch the steps being taken which will lead to this province becoming a processing province. Just imagine the additional control Irving will have over the farmers then. Now we learn that the Minister of Agriculture and also IRAC consider the current owners of Red Fox Acres Ltd. (owned by Rebecca Irving) to be in compliance with the provisions of the Lands Protection Act as they have divested some land by way of a global lease to Lady Slipper Farms. Lady Slipper Farms is an Irving- owned corporation in N B. So she takes the land out of one hand and places it in the other. Nothing has changed - the land is still in Irving hands. What a deviation from the provisions of the Lands Protection Act! I checked out the meaning of "divest" in the Oxford dictionary. This is what it says: "Divest" is defined as to deprive someone of power, rights, or possessions - to rid oneself of something. What happened here is a blatant disregard for the laws of this Province. We never did see the Brendel Farms report although the Agriculture Minister promised it would be made public. That is not transparency. Island Holdings Ltd. has co-presidents and co-chief executive officers. They are Robert K. Irving and James D. Irving. James K. Irving is the Chairman and the shareholders are Grand Forest Holdings Inc. in New Brunswick. Island Holdings Ltd. has been attempting to buy land in the Freetown area. The request has been declined on two occasions and rightfully so. It will be interesting to see if they can invent a way to circumvent the Act once again. The Minister of Agriculture is reported to have said it could be because the advertising of the land was not done according to IRAC rules. There is a much bigger reason than this why they should not get the land.
We are in a serious situation in this Province when we have a Government which got elected on the mantra "For the People". Once in office this was soon forgotten but will probably be unwrapped again in time for the next election.
In the meantime, let us keep telling it like it is and continue to work for programs and policies which are in the best interest of our farm families.
In closing, I would like to pay tribute to District Director, Doug Campbell who has worked tirelessly in that position for the past six years. It has been extremely rare that Doug and I have not seen eye to eye on any issue. If that ever did happen, we always were able to come to a mutually agreeable solution and move ahead. It was a real pleasure to work with you, Doug. Thanks to our Secretary Dan and Treasurer Darlene for all their help during the year. Thanks too to the Local Presidents and our national representatives for your help with the work in this District over the past year. Special thanks must go to Marie Burge who is always willing to help the NFU in any endeavour. We know she is a busy woman who works on many other issues, and this makes us even more grateful for her help. After sixteen years in this position, I feel I have more than completed the course. However, I remain strongly committed to the philosophy of the NFU and will be glad to help out in any way I can in the days ahead. It has been quite a ride, and a tremendous education. Thank you all!
Respectfully submitted,
Edith Ling
https://www.cooperinstitute.ca/Who-We-Are
Who We Are
Cooper Institute members at the organization's 30th anniversary celebration, May 7, 2014: (left to right) back row - Joe Byrne, Irene Burge, Maureen Larkin, Irene Doyle, Marie Hendricken, Leah MacLeod; front row - Ann Wheatley, Josie Baker, Marie Burge, Eddie Cormier, Debbie Theuerkauf, Reg Phelan
What is Cooper Institute?
Cooper Institute is a development education centre engaged in popular education and research. The institute was established in 1984 and is a registered charity (#10114 4541 RR0001). Cooper Institute works in partnership with other groups that are organized for social change.
Land Grabbing in Prince Edward Island
With Keynote Speaker Senator Diane Griffin
Land Grabbing on PEI: How the Lands Protection Act is being violated and why Islanders should be concerned: Saturday, February 23 from 1:30 to 4:00 pm at the PEI Farm Centre. Hosted by the Coalitions for the Protection of PEI Land and Water.
Contact Information
81 Prince StreetCharlottetown, PEI
C1A 4R3
Phone: 902-894-4573
Beyond Maritime Electric: Fighting Climate Change Through Public Energy & Transit
Details
N.B. National Farmers Union leader wants to help farms grow so they can feed province
'I know that New Brunswick can feed New Brunswick,' farmer Eva Rehak says
"I enjoy farming and I want to see it prosper," Eva Rehak said Monday of her goal to help others succeed. "It's getting the help and prosperity to continue growing.
"I know that New Brunswick can feed New Brunswick."
Rehak, who co-owns and operates Alva Farm with her partner, Alain Rousselle, and their children in Saint-Maurice, near Bouctouche, has been on the union's board for 10 years and served as the women's president and on the national board.
She didn't grow up on a farm, but she studied agricultural technology and gained experience with community-shared agriculture programs before buying the farm in New Brunswick.
Rehak said her farm produces 45 different vegetables, some fruits and herbs both outside and in a greenhouse.
Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic was worrying for many farmers, but Rehak said many, including her farm, saw a higher demand for fresh produce.
"I think it made us realize that we need to support our farmers and to basically nourish the New Brunswick people."
Labour issues need resolution
A labour shortage needs to be resolved, she said, although it's not a job that many want to do and the pay isn't great.
"Farming is a very hard job, if I can put it in that sense. It's, like, labour-intensive, so it's not very attractive to a lot of people when we have to pay kind of the minimum wage."
Any wage subsidy would help offset labour costs, she said.
Eva Rehak, her husband Allain and their three kids run the Alva Farm in Saint-Maurice in eastern New Brunswick. (CBC)
Rehak said she'd also like to see programs such as the fruit and vegetable industry development program continue for a few years to encourage farmers to grow things normally brought in from other parts of Canada or from outside it.
She used her own farm as an example.
"We don't do pineapples and citrus fruits and things like that. We don't have the climate for it. But we can do sweet potatoes. We can do a bunch of Asian foods, vegetables, the broccoli, tomatoes, the classics."
She said the program helped the farm build another greenhouse, so it could start growing food earlier in the year and later.
Rehak added the program has helped many new farms start up.
"So with small-scale or diverse farms, if we can help those, then we could be self-sufficient with food sovereignty here in New Brunswick."
With files from Information Morning Moncton
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https://www.nfu.ca/chickens-greet-opening-of-new-brunswick-legislature/
Chickens greet opening of New Brunswick legislature
Fredericton – The National Farmers Union of New Brunswick (NFU-NB) will mark the opening of the NB’s Legislative Session by protesting with avian allies
For more than ten years, NFU-NB has been campaigning for family farms and for recognition of agriculture as a driver of community economic development with adequate financial support. In these ten years, local food and local agriculture have become increasingly important in popular consciousness, and the enthusiasm for local food can be felt almost everywhere in the province. However, many of NFU-NB’s claims, such as the creation and promotion of a logo that would identify New Brunswick products or the creation of targets for the supply of our public institutions, remain largely ignored.
In the past year, New Brunswick, as elsewhere, has also seen growing interest in recognizing the urgency of climate change and for concrete solutions to climate change mitigation. As a society, we rely on the people of the land, the sea and the forests to sequester carbon and the preserve our natural resources, but they can not work alone, without supports.
In order to make the point, once again, that New Brunswick farmers must receive more support and that the vision of food sovereignty must be given more prominence in the department of Agriculture, hens will welcome incoming members for the legislative session. Despite the fact that farm eggs are in great demand, these laying hens can not be more than 199 on a small farm since this is the limit imposed by the supply management system which limits production for farms that do not have no production quota which makes the profitability of a small farm very challenging. We believe, as an organization that represents small-scale farms and young farmers, that it is essential that all supports be offered to newcomers to agriculture and this includes the possibility of producing enough to make a living while farming and without having to work off the farm. If the success of our department would be measured by the number of farms and people who make their living from agriculture as well as the percentage of that production that is consumed within the province instead of the volume produced, the policies coming out of it would surely be more favorable to the development of small community enterprises that are family farms.
We continue to advocate for a vision of agriculture that ensures the food sovereignty of our communities and we call on the hens of a member to spread this message. The chickens will be on the ground of the legislature at dawn and for the whole morning. NFU-NB President, Rébeka Frazer-Chiasson, and other members will be on hand to answer questions from the media.
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Media contacts:
Rebeka Frazer-Chiasson, Chairperson UNF-NB: 506-626-0057
Aaron Shantz, Member UNF-NB: 506-866-4595
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-chicken-farmers-avian-flu-1.6774555
N.S. chicken farmers worry about spread of avian flu
'We're keeping a very close eye on things,' says Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia chair
Chicken farmers in Nova Scotia are concerned about the threat of avian influenza — also known as bird flu — after cases of the disease were discovered in a backyard flock in Port Maitland.
The outbreak in the small flock in southwestern Nova Scotia reported last weekend is the first detection of the disease in poultry in almost a year and the second that has been detected in the province in nearly a year.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the flock of about 20 birds has been killed. The previous detection was of avian influenza in a commercial poultry operation in Nova Scotia was in March 2022.
Amy VanderHeide, the chair of the Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia, said on Information Morning on Thursday that farmers are concerned about the possibility of widespread bird flu in the aftermath of the most recent outbreak.
"We know that that's going to bring an influx of avian influenza with it, so we're keeping a very close eye on things," VanderHeide said.
The coming spring months are critical, she added, as the disease can follow migratory pathways that are travelled by birds that are flying across countries during the warmer months.
VanderHeide said bird flu is often carried by geese and other waterfowl, like ducks and swans. Kings County happens to be the home of a large part of the province's poultry industry, she said, so an outbreak there would impact the industry across Nova Scotia.
Now, the focus is on biosecurity measures, VanderHeide said. Those include keeping entryways disinfected, changing clothes when moving between farms and keeping wild birds out of commercial flocks.
The CFIA say some symptoms of avian flu to look for include:
- a drop in production of eggs, many of which are soft-shelled or have no shells.
- diarrhea.
- haemorrhages on the hock.
- high and sudden mortality rate.
- quietness and extreme depression.
- swelling of the skin under the eyes.
- wattles and combs become swollen and congested.
Labs in Ontario, Manitoba and New Brunswick are equipped to test for the infection and can provide results in one to two days or more, depending on the lab's capacity.
'Fast-moving virus'
"When there is a suspected case of avian influenza, every hour counts," she said. "It's a very fast-moving virus, so every hour that we're waiting for those tests, [is] an hour that we could be doing further things to reduce the spread."
Long waits for test results are why chicken farmers in the province are calling on the province to improve testing in Nova Scotia — something that would involve upgrading labs that currently exist to improve wastewater and ventilation systems, among other changes.
There's also a need to hire accredited lab staff that are trained to diagnose infections, she said.
VanderHeide said with the growing concerns about spread to commercial flocks, it's not enough for testing needs in Nova Scotia to be met by labs outside of the province, especially considering testing priority depends on capacity and urgency.
"It's really just trying to find out where we're supposed to go with this and who can support this initiative and get us what we need to react faster," VanderHeide said.
Earlier this week, the provincial Liberals also made a call for flu testing in Nova Scotia.
"The current system involves sending samples out-of-province, sometimes as far as Guelph, Ontario or Winnipeg, Manitoba, resulting in long wait times for results and greater disruptions to farm operations," the statement reads.
"New Brunswick had their Fredericton lab certified last year. Newfoundland and PEI have plans to ensure their own testing capacity. The introduction of a lab in Nova Scotia would mean a quicker turnaround for diagnosis and any safety protocols to follow."