Chicken parts spread on neighbour's frozen farmland cause big stink for Alberta vet

Judith Samson-French woke up to an awful stench at her 160-acre property west of Calgary Tuesday, to find chicken manure and parts had been spread illegally near her property line.

"I had seen some foxes and coyotes coming down the hill, and I never see foxes on our land," she said. "I'm seeing some carcasses and body parts of chickens and it's right to our fence line. "

Samson-French, a veterinarian,said the problem wasn't just that it was attracting wildlife it could be a health concern.

"It's from a public safety issue of contamination of our water table, antibiotic resistance and the spread of contagious disease, salmonella and avian flu that affects all of our avian flocks in North America," she said.

According to regulations under Alberta'sAgricultural Operation Practices Act, manure and chicken parts have to be spread at least 150 metres from another residence and cannot be applied on frozen or snow-covered land.

Samson-French said she spoke to her neighbour about the issue and he wasn't exactly receptive, suggesting she move to the city if she didn't want to be near manure.

She said she just wants people to be aware of the health risks.

"This is a public health issue as well, so to just suggest to go live in the city is not fixing the problem. I'm not breaking the law. Someone else here is breaking the law and it needs to be fixed," she said.

The Natural Resources Conservation Board has confirmed there was non-compliance, and says it has been dealt with.

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