More than three little pigs will be living on a new pig farm proposed for Fassett near the boundary with Grenville-sur-la-Rouge. The municipality and citizens alike are raising a stink of another kind about the project.
Grenville-sur-la-Rouge council has made a request to the Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) d’Argenteuil asking for it to verify its regulations on the development of pig farms within its territory.
The request follows the approval by Quebec’s environment department of a new 6,000-head pig farm to be located in Fassett, one kilometre from Montée Boucher, which is the boundary betweeen Fassett and Grenville-sur-la-Rouge and the MRC d’Argenteuil and MRC Papineau.
Grenville-sur-la-Rouge is concerned about smell from the proposed farm drifting east and affecting residents. The manure pit approved for the site will not be covered.
Mayor Tom Arnold said the provincial approval for the farm was issued before Fassett council even knew about plan. He is hopeful the MRC d’Argenteuil can discuss concerns over the proposed pig farm with the MRC Papineau because Grenville-sur-la-Rouge cannot intervene on issues outside its boundaries.
“We have no jurisdiction across the lines.”
An online petition by citizens against the proposed pig farm in Fassett had received 173 signatures as of December 5. The petition argues that in addition to the smell from pig manure, the farm could also affect water quality and lead to increased truck traffic on Route 148.
