The Ontario government quietly introduced new environmental controls meant to regulate massive farming operations believed to have caused Walkerton's E. coli outbreak

Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman said the proposed legislation will be tabled in the fall. It is designed to regulate so-called factory farms which produce massive amounts of manure.

Hardeman said farmers across Ontario want standard environmental safeguards to ensure the quality of life in rural Ontario.

The time has come to take the best practices that many farmers are already using and turn them into strict standards for all agricultural operations in Ontario, Hardeman said in a statement.

Ontario began developing the new legislation last spring long before the Walkerton water crisis erupted.

The proposed legislation would include:

* new categories for farms based on their size and the practices used;

* specify rules for capacity and locations for buildings not currently covered by the province's building code;

* establish education and training standards for farmers to carry out certain practices;

* require farmers to keep detailed records of operations;

* require detailed plans pertaining to the use, storage and handling of natural fertilizers, including manure;

* set out a range of fines, including clean-up costs, to be paid by unco-operative offenders in the case of . . . health and safety risks.