Pigsty creates neighbourhood nuisance
Imagine this, you have a nice little house in a pleasant rural neighbourhood and then suddenly one day you wake up and find yourself engulfed by the smell of pigs. And what’s worse, it seems there is nothing you can do to remove the smell, or the animals. No big deal? Well, we didn’t think so either, until we went to the scene of the swine.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
I was in the area for only five minutes when it hit me. A pungent odour which made it difficult for me to breathe and I had no choice but to make a quick retreat. The stench is coming from a pig pen situated in a family?s backyard in a residential community of Burrell Boom Village.
Gasman Dawson, Area Resident
?No man, that is wrong. I couldn?t do thing like that, I wouldn?t move into a neighbourhood and start do something only pleasing to me. I would have to find out from the neighbour how it affect them or if I can do it, no??
At least eight families are being affected by the smelly hazard that they say is disturbing their ability to enjoy their own home and its environment.
Lillian Dawson, Area Resident
?The pig pen is by the area where I have to cook by my kitchen right and then it suffocate we and we can?t eat inside, we can?t eat outside and sometimes we have to close up the place because the scent…?
Derrick Stuart, Area Resident
?We experience this thing on a daily basis, not to mention the people who actually live in the proximity. We have approximately eight or nine families who are affected by this thing twenty-four seven. How shall these people survive, how shall they manage this??
Lillian and Edison Dawson are the most affected by the nuisance. The couple, who live just behind the property where the pigs are being raised, is unable to enjoy their own yard space. The Dawsons say they not only have to deal with the bad smell, but whenever it rains all the filth spills over onto their land.
Edison Dawson, Area Resident
?First of all it?s nothing nice to smell you know. And secondly, I have my kids them, and thirdly, friends come by and they ask, boy the how you stand this scent? So it is very terrible; something must be done about it.?
Meleda Najera, Area Resident
?Sometimes when we are washing up the stench of the pigs comes inside the house and it just stays there in the living room. Every now and then I get headaches because the smell is always there inside the house.?
The neighbours say they have complained to the homeowner Consuelo Ramos, who told them that she is only the pigs? caretaker and does not own the animals. Furthermore, the residents claim Ramos does not seem interested in addressing the problem. When News Five approached Ramos to speak to us about the situation she declined to go on camera, but emphatically added and I quote ?If it does not affect me, it does not affect nobody.? End of quote. The neighbours say they had no choice, but to contact the relevant authorities like the Ministry of Health.
Derrick Stuart, Area Resident
?I want to see the pigs moved from out the area. I do not mind these people having pigs because it is a way of income, I don?t mind them having them, but not in such a close knit environment, you understand. The houses are so close, the people live close, well most of us anyhow live close together, hence the reason we approached her first, you understand to see what can be arranged. And when she decided to disagree with our concerns, then we took the other steps.?
Former village council chairman and area resident Derrick Stuart believes Ramos? action is illegal. Stuart says a recent law passed, specifically addresses such matters that are a disturbance or nuisance to residential communities.
Derrick Stuart
?In fact, it specifically mention animals, anything that has to do with animals in the village it specifically mentions that, you understand. I was part of a team at the National Village Council Association meetings. I was a part of different groups that has to do with different things and this is exactly, this is one of one that I particularly deal with so I know exactly what is in there.?
The neighbours say they have been living with the stench for the past five months and it was three months ago that a team from the Ministry of Health visited the area, but since then nothing has been done to address the situation. The residents say the Village Council has also been informed.
Gasman Dawson
?I mean it cause problems because you have a different mind towards that person and I do not want to live that kind of life. I believe in living a cooperative life, I like to be happy with people. But if this stench always di hit we and we talk to them and they do not want to do anything about it…?
The neighbours say they are planning on meeting with area representative Ralph Fonseca to see what his office can do to reach an amicable solution…if not, they may have to seek legal recourse.
The current chairman of Boom, Niall Gillette tells News Five that there has been no formal complaint to him or the village council regarding the issue, but he did contact the Public Health Department to query the matter and was told that as long as the conditions the animals are being kept in are sanitary, there is no violation. In addition, he referred to a statutory instrument which stipulates that animals such as pigs, cows or horses are not to be kept within the limits of the village. However, he says this presents two problems since a large number of other people in Boom keep such animals on their property and the official limits of the village have not be clearly demarcated. Gillette says unless there is a blanket ban on all livestock in the village, the Council cannot single out individual residents and order them to remove their animals based on comments made in passing to individual members of the council or through the media. However, he says the residents might want to approach the police and file a complaint under the laws governing public nuisances. In addition, the Environmental Protection act includes “objectionable odours” under its list of environmental pollutants.
