Title

In other states, waste from large hog farms has caused sewage spills and environ

Source

Maine Times

Date

7-2-1998

Pages

8-9

Abstract

In other states, waste from large hog farms has caused sewage spills and environmental pollution. A Maine law passed last spring put a one-year moratorium on the development of farms with more than 1,000 livestock animals. NAP Breton of Quebec Province has floated proposals in several Aroostook County communities for a large hog farm, and Armstrong Engineering of Caribou proposed expanding the potato farm of Gilles Michaud of Limestone into a hog facility. Currently Maine has about 4,000 to 5,000 pigs, with the largest farms housing about 200 animals. The article details the potential benefits and disadvantages of having hog farms overseen by the state Department of Environmental Protection; the state Department of Agriculture; or the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission. Officials from the State Planning Office, LURC, and the Agriculture Department are drafting nutrient management rules that will eventually be voted on by the Legislature. Local residents determined to stop the hog farms seem to favor LURC oversight, while farmers seem to favor the Department of Agriculture.

Subjects

Swine

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