Neighbours Worry About Farm

Plans for hog operation bring Erinsville residents to council meeting

By Graeme McDonald
Centreville/For The Whig-Standard

AFTER THE HEARING ABOUT RIVER Valley Farms' compliance with Stone Mills' intensive farming bylaw, emotions seem raw on the issue of factory farming.

Seventy-five people from the Erinsville area tried to crowd into the Stone Mills council chamber Monday night to hear about plans for an intensive hog farm in their toen on the shores of Beaver Lake.

Mark and Sarah Slack appeared before council to defend their plans and to answer questions from council.

The couple has complied with the requirements of the intensive farming bylaw and are waiting for their site plan to be approved by the township planner, John Uliana, Mark Slck said.

Slack said the township's nutrient management - manure disposal - bylaw is one of the most stringent in Ontario. "I chose to embrace it, I chose to follow it. I adhered to everything there is in this bylaw."

In the beginning, the farm will spread most of its manure in Tyendinaga Township, he said, but this will likely change as farmers in the area make their land available to the Slacks for their manure.

Mark Slack, addressing the murmurs and outbursts from the audience, said he has "absolutely nothing to hide. There is going to be people in this room I will never satisfy... They're scared of what they don'rt know."

Slack said that hogs do not produce the strain of E. coli responsible for the Walkerton tragedy and that E. coli will kill pigs the same way is kills humans.

He discussed ways of resolving the odour issue, from a planned cement-lined lagoon by building a wind break that, he said, would leave no trace of odour.

Slack said if pollution is the main issue, then the community's concern should be directed at much bigger manure producers. He referred to River Valley Farms, which last week was the subject of a hearing before the Farm Practices Protection Board.

At the mention of River Valley Farms, Councillor Doug Davison stated his "personal opinion" that the egg producer is "trying to tear it (the bylaw) apart. He is trying to bankrupt this community."

Davison said he didn't belive that was the case with the proposed hog farm and that if, in a public forum, the Slacks could "share an open dialogue with the people, it would be better for everybody."

Sarah Slack said the whole issue of their farm "had been blown out of proportion and I think people will see that."

Councillor Robert Gaffney said council's biggest concern is monitoring and suggested there may be amendments to strengthen the bylaw. "Will you be willing to meet them?" he asked.

Gaffney expressed council's ire at the lack of support for monitoring from the province. "We've had people in the government actually say, "If pollution turns up, give us a call."

Steven Alls, project co-ordinator of the Irish Village Project in Erinsville, read a prepared statement citing conflicts between an "eco-tourist attraction" such as the Irish Village and a hog farm next door.

Council voted in September to support the Irish Village. Alls questioned council's support for both the village and the hog farm.

No date has been set for a public meeting to address the hog farm issue in Erinsville.