At least three eastern Ontario municipalities are trying to rescind permits granted for hog farming construction, and one wants a hog-free zone. Hog farmers fear that this is becoming like the measles — it’s catching and will pass from municipality to municipality.

The city of Ottawa is battling in court to overturn the decision of its own official, Arlene Gregoire, who issued a buildingpermit for a hog barn. She said she was obliged to issue the permit because it met the legal requirements. Nonetheless, the city got an injunction to halt barn construction until the matter can be resolved by a judge.

Meanwhile, in East Hawkesbury Township, panicky residents crowded into council chambers in St. Eugene, wanting information on the arrival of a huge pig farm. One resident moaned that the new by-law prohibiting new farms with more than 150 animal units was too little, too late. The new pig barn, only the second in the municipality, will house 4,500 weaner pigs.

A year ago, the proposed erection of the first hog barn in the township, belonging to the Skotidakis family, put fear into the hearts of residents. Many remembered too well the environmental infractions by the Skotidakis goat operation.

East Hawkesbury deputy-reeve Ron Conway, a calm voice in troubled waters, says the economy of the township depends on farming. He doesn’t want to see ceilings. "I asked The Ottawa Sun reporter how the city would like to have its high tech industry hobbled by caps," he said.

"The by-law is directed against hog farmers," he confided. But it will effect all farmers.

George Heinzel, a dairy farmer in the township, says the opponents of hog farms speak well but exaggerate everything. Size is not the determining factor if you’re looking at the environment. The larger farms have taken steps to protect the environment and are better for the environment, he says.

The newer technology would make the debate over pig barns irrelevant if it were adopted in Canada, he said. Methane digesters would take away smell and provide power for the farm, he said. But the technology is expensive and needs to be subsidized.

In Napanee, wannabe hog farmer Mark Slack, might lose out a second time. His proposal for a 1,420 head sow operation at Stone Mills was so fiercely opposed he tried again in Tweed Township, where he was granted a permit.

But township clerk, Patricia Bergeron, says Tweed Township now wants to ban hog operations altogether. "Council requested the chief building inspector revoke the permit, period." Bergeron is not sure the municipality has that authority.

Other livestock operations will be allowed in the township, she says, as long as they are in an agricultural or rural zone. She says council has hired a consulting firm to update the planning and zoning laws.

The long term effect of these battles might be nutrient management regulations on a provincial level. It’s better to have a provincial law than municipal by-laws fueled by fear, the Minister of Agriculture Helen Johns argues.