A literature review of the economics of manure management options in the Lower Fraser Valley /

The social costs of manure management options include the costs to society from manure contamination of the environment and comprise the increased health care costs and lost human productivity due to deterioration in human health, threats to the financial viability of commercial and aboriginal fisheries, the loss in value to anglers, recreationalists, and the public due to reduced fish stocks and [...] In the long-term, the financial viability of farming in the area may be harmed by continued degradation of the resource base; management options that are friendly to the environment as well as the farmer’s financial situation are clearly the most desirable solutions. [...] This is followed by a presentation of the issues related to the economics of manure 1 management options and a review of the existing literature on the estimates of the benefits and costs of those options. [...] The short-run private marginal costs of managing manure decrease with the amount of manure [i.e., the more manure spread on the land (and hence the more nutrients reaching the environment), or improperly disposed of, the lower the marginal cost to the farmer of manure management (up to the point where soil is degraded)]. [...] The amount of nutrients reaching the environment at x* balances the costs to 8 the farmer against the benefits to society of reducing the amount of nutrients escaping the agricultural system and reaching the environment.