RED DEER – An organization has been formed to fight the development of
intensive livestock operations in Alberta.
Citizens Advocating Public and Environmental Responsibility hope that
by having individuals join together they can create a large enough
voice to force the Alberta government to take a second look at allowing
wide scale intensive livestock development in the province.
“We’re not anti-livestock. We just have to come up with better
livestock practices and have the government listen to us,” said Lisa
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Bech-thold, the southern Alberta farmer who got involved when Taiwan
Sugar proposed a 7,200-sow farrow-to-finish complex in her area.
“I was living blissfully ignorant in my corner of the world before
Taiwan came to town,” said Bechthold of Foremost.
Through a massive lobbying effort by Bechthold and others, the County
of Forty Mile rejected Taiwan Sugar’s proposal.
People opposed to intensive hog or feedlot operations feel they haven’t
always had the ear of politicians.
Bill Purves-Smith of Carstairs joined the group to oppose a feedlot
development in his area.
Small local groups scattered across the province feel powerless with
their limited finances, time, energy and experience, he said.
“Powerlessness is one of the biggest factors that allow development to
go through,” said Purves-Smith.
“Getting together has some possibilities of linking experience and
strength through numbers and ideas. Out of a unified voice you might
have a political effect.”
In January, the government changed legislation to move control of
siting and approving intensive livestock operations away from local
municipalities to the quasi-judicial Natural Resources Conservation
Board. It was an attempt to unify rules across the province.
Brian Bietz, head of the NRCB, said removing local control from
municipalities was a huge issue for people.
“There are some significant and very real concerns,” he said.
He told a recent meeting of the group that his job wasn’t to promote
the industry but to balance the public interest with a healthy economy,
industrial development and the rights of individuals.
Many speakers questioned Bietz about perceived bias since the NRCB is
hiring former Alberta Agriculture staff who were once in charge of
promoting the industry, and are now making site decisions.
Lana Love of Hardisty, still fighting the Taiwan Sugar barn proposal in
her area, said the only hope local producers have of fighting a
development is to have a unified voice.
“If we have any chance of changing things, it will be by lobbying,” she
said, anticipating a lot of opposition to proposed ILOs in the future.
“I don’t believe it’s going to be as smooth as Brian Bietz says.
There’s a lot of rocks on the road yet.”
Barry McFarland, MLA for Little Bow in the heart of Alberta’s feedlot
area, sat in on the day-long meeting to listen to the 150 people, but
was skeptical the group represents most Albertans.
“If you have a group that’s got a legitimate concern, I’ve always been
under the opinion that a council, whether it’s a local or municipal
council, will listen to them. As MLAs, we try to listen to
constituents. At the end of the day, in a democracy, you represent the
majority opinion. Sometimes some people’s wants and wishes, as vocal as
they may be, do not represent the majority.”
