A southern Alberta Hutterite colony has been fined $71,500 for operating a liquid hog manure lagoon without a permit.
The Hutterian Brethren of White Lake pleaded guilty Sept. 15 in provincial court after charges were laid in March.
Operators who wish to construct new manure facilities that are part of an intensive livestock operation must receive a permit under the Agricultural Operation Practices Act before construction begins. The colony failed to do so.
The court also placed the colony on probation for three years with an order that no manure be permitted to enter the lagoon unless approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Board.
The NRCB is an independent, quasi- judicial agency of the provincial government responsible for regulating confined feeding operations in the province.
