Trent Hills – Empire Cheese and Butter Co-op will use $187,000 in provincial funding to upgrade its infrastructure to protect local drinking water. By the time the project is completed, the Campbellford-area business will surpass current environmental standards that have been the bane of small cheese makers.

The matching funding being provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will enable Empire to purchase and install a 45,000-litre holding tank for the waste wash water that results from the cheese-making process.
After the excess whey is separated and put into a silo tank, the nutrient-rich waste wash water will go into the holding tank that’s equipped with an aerator to control odours, general manager Jack Oliver said, after Northumberland-Qunite West MPP Lou Rinaldi announced the funding Monday morning.

The holding tank will contain the waste liquid over the winter months until it can be spread during the spring and summer on the fields of the 10 farm families that own Empire Cheese, Oliver said.

The proposed solution is based on a system currently in use at Egansville by Bishop Water Technologies for the treatment of biosolids.

The idea was brought to Empire’s attention by field staff at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs – Peter Doris, a nutrient management specialist, and Ben Hawkins, an engineer.

Empire had been permitted land application year-round of the million gallons of wash water and excess whey it produces annually, but new regulations came into effect at the end of 2009 that prohibited the practice between Dec. 31 and March 31. The concern had to do with the risk of nutrient-rich effluent migrating over frozen ground and finding its way into a source of drinking water but the new restrictions have caused turmoil in the industry.

Oliver warned area politicians last year Empire could be forced to shut down if it didn’t receive financial assistance to make the required changes to its system of production.

“We spent considerable time talking to (then) agriculture minister Leona Dombrowsky trying to find a solution,” he said. “There is no cheap way of doing it, so they are funding half of the project.”

Now Empire Cheese can focus on making quality local cheeses “knowing we’ve effectively and efficiently reduced our environmental impact,” Oliver said.

Rinaldi said both he and Dombrowsky represent rural communities and know how important it is for small businesses like Empire Cheese to be able to comply with environmental standards set by the province.

“It’s my strong belief that government needs to be at the plate to help offset some of the cost of those environmental issues.”

Rinaldi said the provincial government is dedicated to supporting locally grown and produced food, while protecting the environment.

“Projects such as this support our government’s commitment to healthy and economically strong communities,” he said.

Oliver said Empire Cheese, which employs 22 people, “is an important part of the community” and one of the attractions, along with Dooher’s Bakery and the World’s Finest Chocolate outlet, that draws people from all over Ontario to Trent Hills and Northumberland County.

Established in 1870 by a group of farmers, Empire Cheese continues to win awards for its products. At the Royal Winter Fair in December Empire Cheese and Butter Co-op captured first place in the extra-mild cheddar cheese category and second place in both the mild and marble cheddar categories.