Why Intensive Hog Farm Operations are Hard On Communities
PUBLIC INFORMATION FORUM ON PROPOSED HOG FACTORY FARM IN ERINSVILLE
SUNDAY APRIL 8TH - 2 to 4 PM
1:30 PM - VIDEO PRESENTATION
ST. PATRICK'S SCHOOL, 6051 HWY #41 ERINSVILLE
sponsored by Concerned Citizens for our Community Environments (CCCE)
PLEASE COME!!! ADMISSION IS FREE
The following is a letter presented to Stone Mills Township on Monday by representatives of Concerned Citizens for our Community Environments:
March 5, 2001
Members of Council
Township of Stone Mills
4504 County Road #4
Centreville, Ontario
K0K 1N0
Dear Members of Council:
This is to convey to you the very serious concerns we have in connection with the proposed intensive livestock operation in Erinsville. The most inappropriate location of this proposed establishment, given its proximity to the hamlet, lakes, rivers and streams and neighboring residences is of grave concern. This, together with the proven negative economic impact such an operation will have on our community’s treasured family farmers as well as all other landowners, compels us to insist that Council exercise its every authority in this matter to ensure the health and security of our residents and our environment.
Be assured that we sympathize with the difficult position Council is in. The government of Ontario loads environmental responsibilities on small municipalities but limits their ability to protect the environment. It does not commit to planning and refuses to act when it should protect the environment. In its efforts to strengthen our province’s agricultural sector, it behaves irresponsibly by failing to effectively address the numerous proven negative impacts associated with the transformation of our traditional farms into industrial livestock operations. The legislative framework cannot continue to defer to the standards set by the livestock industry. The risks to the health of the environment and to the security of the public are too great to ignore.
Secondly, we understand that when applications are made for the establishment of a new intensive livestock operation, such application must be accompanied by a Hydrogeology Report prepared by a professional qualified in the field. Another requirement is for the applicant to submit, prior to the issuance of a building permit, a Nutrient Management Plan which must undergo Third Party Review acceptable to the Township. In this regard, we have serious concerns in that our Township does not have individuals on staff qualified to effectively review and deliver an opinion on Nutrient Management Plans and Hydrogeology Reports. We recognize that Council has the authority to engage an independent review and we feel very strongly that Council must exercise its authority in this regard and engage the appropriate resource to conduct these reviews.
We come to you this evening under the banner of a committee: Concerned Citizens for our Community Environments (“CCCE”), formed recently in response to the threat we all currently face. CCCE is supported by the community, as evidenced by the letters attached herewith and the approximately seventy residents who gathered at an unpublicized impromptu CCCE meeting held yesterday. We are committed to working diligently to ensure the protection of our environment and the physical and economic well-being of the present and future generations of Stone Mills Township residents.
Respectfully,
Colette Drisdale
Virginia Storring
Concerned Citizens for Our Community Environments
Factory Pig Farm Information
Hog Watch
The Humane Farming Organization
GRACE - An organization against Factory Farms
Factory Farming the Truth Hurts
Intensive Pig Farming
The Truth About Factory Farms and the Environment
Intensive Pig Farming in the U.K.
Intensive Farming is polluting the Water Supply
The Horrors of Factory Farming in the EU
