Review board hears Lucasville horse farm complaints

Residents botheredbythe odourcoming from a Halifax-area horse farm will have to wait another 60 days to find out if a provincial agency will order any changes to the property.

A presentation was made at a hearing Wednesday of theFarm Practices Review Board outlining concerns about manure handling, rodents and dust at Memento Farms in Lucasville, also known as Goldring Stables.

• Complaints aboutLucasvillehorse farm to go before agricultural board

"I really couldn't say which way it's going to go," saidCedricParsons, who lives two doors down from the farm."I didn't hear very much from the board today. They were just listening."

The agency was set up to prevent nuisance complaints about farm operations being taken to court.It has the power to modify or stop a farm practice.

Lucasville is a 200-year-old communityoriginally settled by Black Loyalists, and it remains predominantly African Nova Scotian. The presentation at the review board hearing said farming in the area died out in the 1970s and 1980s.

Smells like a 'porta-potty'

Memento Farms has 35 horses on a four-hectaresite.

"Some days you go outside and it's just like you're walking into a porta-pottyon a hot summer's day," said Randy Wells. "And we've been dealing with it for the last 15 years."

The review board also heard from the co-owner of the horse farm, Cathy Goldring.

She told board members the operation has done "everything in its power to comply with all guidelines."

'Nobody is trying to get rid of the farm'

Goldring also characterized the complaints asharassment and said people would not be happy until the farm was shut down.

Some of the neighbours are hopeful the review board canissue some orders that will improve the situation.

"Nobody is trying to get rid of the farm;I think the farm is there for good," said Dennis Fortin."It's just the mismanagement of certain areas of the farm."

The review board has 60 days to issue a decision.Its orders can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.