Where there are pigs, there are fights.
That seems to be the case in rural Saskatchewan, where the typical announcement of a new hog barn project brings with it protests and petitions to block the development, setting those concerned about environmental and social stability against energetic economic developers.
“I said ‘I smell enough bad air already – I don’t want to smell pig manure,’ ” said Edward Kopp, who lives three kilometres from a proposed 600-sow hog barn in the Unity, Sask. area.
“It’s not only for me, it’s for the people.”
Read Also
Solution offered for crackdown on fake honey
U.S. and Canadian beekeepers producing genuine honey need someone or some organization to test and detect fake honey to keep it out of the domestic market.
Kopp said the project could pollute local water supplies and create poisonous accumulations in the local gas field, where the barn is slated to be built.
On the other side, Denzil producer Blain Reid sees the hog barn as the answer to many local concerns.
“It just seems the right place to raise hogs,” said Reid, who sees in the project an investment opportunity for local money, a good new market for feed grain producers, job creation for local young people and a way to bring more value-added processing to Saskatchewan.
The project proponents, 11 local producers, have selected a site they think would be perfect, but have not yet completed all the environmental studies.
Soon they will attempt to raise $1 million from local investors. The rest of the $4.1 million will be borrowed.
From the start Reid and others have met with and spoken to local people about the project.
A tour of a similar style barn was arranged for local concerned citizens, a public meeting has been held, local rural municipal councils were approached and the proponents tried to bring local people on-side.
Kopp said the barn promoters even offered to buy him out if his objections were so strong.
He said he is a reasonable man, but his objections to the barn and potential pollution are so strong he doesn’t think he could be convinced to ever support it. He is trying to get local people to sign a petition to halt the barn.
Reid said his group is committed to following every environmental law and will not proceed if detailed environmental studies suggest it could be dangerous.
But he said opposition to the hog barn doesn’t come from detailed criticisms, but from ignorance.
“A lot of the concerns we hear are from people who don’t understand it,” he said. “It’s hard for anyone who hasn’t seen a project like this to visualize what would be taking place.”
Reid said he doesn’t believe he will be able to win over Kopp, but he thinks the local community generally supports the project.
