Maricourt approves new pig farm project
The town of Maricourt has given Gestion Isadan a construction permit to build a new pig farm in the small municipality, despite pushback from residents.
“We went ahead with the proposition and it was accepted at the meeting last night by everybody,” said Maricourt Mayor Robert Ledoux, adding that it was decided over a month ago. The town held a public council meeting on Tuesday evening.
According to Ledoux, his hands were effectively tied throughout the entire approval process, as the decision came down from Quebec’s Environment Ministry. However, the town was able to draw up several mitigation measures. He said most of the measures were accepted.
The mayor told The Record that the company, Gestion Isadan, rejected the proposal for a liquid to contain the stench that will permeate from the farm. They also declined to install “special ventilation” windows, which was proposed by a citizens’ committee.
“This is expensive apparently and since they are so far away from other people, other houses, and the farm is closed off in a forest,” said Ledoux.
The farm has been a point of contention in Maricourt for several months. Residents believe the government failed to conduct an appropriate consultation period. Ledoux said he was basically given a proposal without having any say on the project.
He also noted that residents are worried that this will open the floodgates to more unwanted construction projects, and usher in business from outside of the Eastern Townships. Gestion Isadan is a local business, but it might not be a familiar face the next time.
But Ledoux said what happened with this project will resonate with the government. Media brought this story to life, he added, and the ministry, as well as the MRC, have already told the mayor that they will have discussions with the municipality before accepting another project.
The farm is expected to hold 3,996 pigs, which has become one of the main talking points for residents. The town wanted to hold a Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) public hearing to determine the farm’s effect on the environment.
However, in order for the government to approve a hearing, the farm would need to hold at least 4,000 pigs. Ledoux spoke to other pig farmers, who told him that they hope to see the number decrease to 1,500 or 2,000. He was not prepared to deal with this situation.
“I don’t know when this was decided or who decided that but here, it’s the first time this happens to us,” said Ledoux. “We’re not a big city, we’re under 500 people, and we’ve never seen that before and now we have this on our back […] we’re not specialists.”
Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) Estrie Vice-president Michel Brien also made an appearance at the council meeting Tuesday. He told The Record that the project meets all of the town’s criteria, which is why he was surprised to see so much pushback.
“When there is a demand for construction and it corresponds to the municipality’s regulations, it’s in the right zone, it respects all the rules, they can’t say that they don’t want this type of production in the municipality,” said Brien.
He added that a BAPE hearing costs thousands of dollars, and it is normally done in cases where farms hold more than 10,000 animals. There are also three pig farms currently in the town, he said, and none of them have ever had any complaints.
There were more than 30 people at the council meeting, and many of them mentioned noise pollution in the area. But they are more likely to be bothered by campers in Maricourt, he continued, they might hear noise from the pig farm once or twice per year.
“The thing that I found interesting, in the case of Maricourt, for the most part the residents ignored the fact that there were already three pig farms on the territory and there were never any complaints made against these pig farms,” said Brien.