How Many Nutrient Units Do I Have?
Ratite Operations

Nutrient Management Act Regulations

If you own a ratite operation, the regulations of the Nutrient Management Act, 2002 may apply to you.

The implementation date of September 30th, 2003 applies:

• if you apply for a building permit for a barn on or after September 30th, 2003, and
• your operation will generate manure, and
• your operation generates greater than 5 nutrient units, and
• the barn is on a separately deeded property, on land which the person who owns or controls the site has not previously carried out an agricultural operation that generated manure.
  

OR

• you are expanding an existing operation and will generate 300 or more nutrient units.

The implementation date of July 1, 2005 applies to your ratite operation if:

• you have an existing ratite operation and generate 300 or more nutrient units.

If you own a ratite operation and keep no other livestock on your farm, you can use the following chart to easily determine the nutrient units for your farm operation.

*The nutrient unit conversion factors for ratites are for discussion purposes.

Farms which do not fit the definition of "new" and which are smaller than 300 NU will not be subject to the Nutrient Management Act 2002 regulations until 2008 at the earliest. The issue of when the proposed regulation would apply to all types of livestock and non-livestock farms except new livestock farms, existing large livestock farms and those expanding into and within the large livestock category will be referred to the provincial advisory committee. Implementation dates for the regulation for all categories except for new and expanding livestock farms have also been tied to the availability of cost-shared funding. The Nutrient Management Act 2002 will apply to new livestock farms, large livestock farms (>300 NU) and those farms expanding into or within the large category. Existing livestock farms and expanding livestock farms that are less than 300 nutrient units may be subject to municipal by-laws where they exist.   

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