WINCHESTER — Richard Hess sold his 40 Holstein cows in May, saying he would have had to spend $130,000 to build a manure pit to comply with the Nutrient Management Act. He would have also needed to make major changes to widen his laneway.

"That was the nail in the coffin," said Hess, 58, who farms south of Winchester. "My son will have to do something else. I have 300 acres to play with."

A second farmer in the Township of South Dundas has also decided to quit over new rules that force some farmers to widen their laneways for new 40 ft. long milk trucks.

Township of South Dundas mayor Lyle Van Allen said both farmers would have paid up to $10,000 to widen their laneways to accommodate the large trucks that carry 36,500 litres of milk.

Van Allen’s son-in-law is a dairy farmer and had to cut down a large Maple tree and move fencing to allow enough room for the bigger truck. Other farmers have to replace culverts, he said. "I think they (Dairy Farmers of Ontario) want to do away with the small farmer (of up to 40 cows)."

Perry Hart agrees. He milks 30 cows near Morrisburg and is upset by the changes he was forced to start making last month. "I had to open an abandoned road and widen my driveway," he said. "I’ve got $5,000 tied up and I’m not done. This is something you don’t expect to do and have only one month to do it."

The end of the lane has to be widened to 70 ft.