The dispute between Flagstaff County citizens and a Taiwanese farm corporation will be heard in an Edmonton court Feb. 13.
The case against Taiwan Sugar’s proposed 80,000-hog farm goes before Court of Queen’s Bench where it will be determined whether the case should be forwarded to the Alberta Court of Appeal, said Lori Goodrich, spokesperson for the Flagstaff County Family Farm Promotional Society.
The society hopes the court of appeal will overturn the municipal decision that allows Taiwan Sugar to start building in the spring of 2001.
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The society is campaigning against Taiwan Sugar in several directions.
It is investigating a possible appeal against the development under provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
“Taiwan lost its right to export because of foot-and-mouth disease,” said Goodrich. Her group believes the company wants to start over in Canada with a clean herd so it can begin exporting pork again. The society said a foreign corporation coming to this country for this purpose violates the spirit of the free trade agreement.
In addition, the group hopes to force a plebiscite to make the hog barns pay industrial property taxes rather than farm taxes. This could substantially raise the company’s annual property tax bill from about $2,000 on five quarters of farmland to more than $300,000 if it is rezoned as an industrial area.
“For the amount of traffic they are going to generate, that is pretty low,” said Goodrich.
It also plans to launch a boycott against all Taiwan Sugar products.
Clarence Froese, of DGH Engineering, said if the court overturns the company’s development plan, the decision to build in Canada may be abandoned.
Taiwan Sugar, founded in 1946, owns hog farms in Taiwan, Australia and Vietnam.
