The Ministry of Environment held only one hearing in the east, at Kemptville, where 12 groups made presentations.

Jim Hemlin, who originated the petition and made a presentation at the Kemptville hearing, said he became concerned after phoning around to find what action groups were taking. There was none.

His resolution, also asking for 90 per cent funding for all capital projects, the cost of manure analysis and plan development was passed at a special meeting of the council and forwarded to all municipalities in Ontario.

Earl Saar, Renfrew delegate to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), took the resolution to the annual meeting in Toronto while county president of the Christian Farmers, Gerald Vanderploeg, took the resolution to his annual meeting. He says the county has a land base different than any other area of the province. What’s more, Renfrew County beef farms are often small and have substantial bush lots. "You can’t compare a farm with 50 or 60 cows on 300 or 400 or 500 acres to an intensive farming operation," he said.

He fears the new inspectors will come in with too much force and not enough understanding of farming practices and the impact on these small farms on the environment.

A second part of the resolution asks that government bring back the farm lease and purchase program. Operating through the 70s and 80s, the program allowed farms to buy up other farms in areas where sales were slow. It gave retiring farmers some income, and kept the properties from devaluating.