Photo displayed during council meeting in September shows the proposed abattoir would occupy half of the building at 72 Crescent St. in the Sackville Industrial Park

At its next regular meeting on Monday, Sackville Town Council is expected to discuss the proposal for a small-scale slaughterhouse in the industrial park after receiving 32 letters expressing strong opposition to the project and none in support.

Documents released with Monday’s council agenda show that objections include the abattoir’s proximity to the town; health, safety and environmental concerns; worries about noises and smells; the location of the slaughterhouse in a flood-prone area; lowering of property values; concerns about the number of animals that would be killed there and doubts about the project’s economic viability.

To read a summary of the letters prepared by town staff, click here.

Public hearing

On November 9th, council held a public hearing, but it yielded no information about the cost and financing of the project, the numbers of animals that would be slaughtered or the volume of truck traffic that would be required to transport animals to the site and to haul away their waste products.

Documents attached to Monday’s agenda show that Chris Pierce, the local farmer who wants to build the slaughterhouse, would require part of his property to be re-zoned for intensive use under a specific development agreement intended to give the town more control.

For example, the proposed agreement would require him to remove waste products from the site every day that it operates.

To read the proposed agreement, click here.

Provincial regulations also require abattoir operators to obtain federal permits for the off-site disposal of cattle carcass parts that pose a risk of spreading mad cow disease including the skull, brain, eyes, tonsils and nerves attached to the brain and spinal chord in cattle older than 30 months and a portion of the small intestine from all cattle.

To read the provincial requirements, click here.

There was no information at last month’s public hearing, however, on whether the proponent has found an approved location or licensed disposal site for animal wastes.

Next steps

At Monday’s meeting, council is expected to discuss the changes to Sackville’s municipal plan and zoning bylaw that would be required for the project to proceed.

Lori Bickford, planning manager/planner with the Southeast Regional Service Commission told council last month that the commission’s Planning Review and Adjustment Committee is recommending  Sackville change its municipal plan and zoning bylaw to permit abattoirs in special intensive use zones within industrial areas.

But, given the strong opposition to the project and the lack of basic information about it, it’s possible members of council may ask for more facts before going full-steam ahead, especially with a municipal election only five months away.

To read coverage of last month’s public hearing, click here.

For a story about whether the proposed slaughterhouse is financially feasible, click here.