LAKEPORT — Keeping pigs on suburban rural-zoned land was at issue in Tuesday”s Board of Supervisors meeting. The board discussed a proposed amendment that would require owners to get a use permit in order to raise the animals.
This particular focus on pigs came to the forefront after an incident in Lakeport in which a neighbor of Jerry “G.R.” Shaul — the county”s Director of Public Works — allegedly penned his pigs too close to the edge of Shaul”s property line.
Shaul and his brother own suburban rural-zoned parcels in Lakeport. This kind of property, said a memo to the board from the Community Development Department, “is typically found at the fringes of urban residential development and is a transitional zone that is likely to be developed in the future.”
“When I”m out using my property, depending on the wind and temperature, … it”s an obnoxious odor,” said Shaul. “There”ve been complaints all over the county. It probably is human nature for people who don”t respect their neighbors and put [their animals] as far away from their house as they can, and it ends up being close to their neighbor”s house.”
Supervisor Rob Brown offered another explanation. “They”re just doing it to be obnoxious,” he said. “Having 20 pigs in your backyard is probably more of a health and safety issue than barking dogs. I know it is; flies carry diseases.”
Brown later pointed out that pigs do not have to be raised in the kind of squalor that apparently causes the odor and fly problem on Shaul”s property, and that proper husbandry practices should be employed.
Brown said he has been out to Shaul”s property and has seen the partition made of pallets, apparently constructed by the neighbor.
“This guy”s no more a pig farmer than I am a brain surgeon,” said Brown.
Community Development Director Mary Jane Fagalde and her staff drafted the proposed amendment, which would only change the existing ordinance in the sense that it would require a use permit in order to raise pigs on suburban reserve land.
Fagalde confirmed that the amendment was pushed along by this incident, but stated that there may have been other incidents which prompted it.
“Every now and then one of these things pops up, and it seems we need to have a way to deal with it that doesn”t have a negative effect on legitimate ag operations and on people who are responsible stewards,”
said Supervisor Ed Robey, referring to the various conplaints that have been brought to the board”s attention over similar issues.
One concern needing to be addressed is the possible effect the amendment would have on agricultural operations in the county.
“[We don”t want to] punish legitimate ag operations because of some guy who blatantly is ignorant of what he should be doing in an area like this,” said Brown.
One group affected would be 4-H, which hosts a program in which kids feed and raise pigs and sell them at the county fair.
Fagalde pointed out that the amendment would only require 4-H and other similar agricultural operations to submit a letter in order to get permission from the board.
In such a case, she said, it would then be verified that the pigs were being penned the currently mandatory 50 feet away from a neighbor”s house.
Brown said he personally would like a chance to review the proposed ordinance before forming an opinion.
The rest of the board concurred, deciding to continue their discussion of this issue at their Aug. 22 meeting.
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