WOULD YOU WANT 12,000 PIGS A YEAR KILLED 300 FEET FROM YOU?

WOULD YOU WANT 12,000 PIGS A YEAR KILLED 300 FEET FROM YOUR HOUSE?

That could be my horrible situation if a slaughterhouse isn’t stopped from opening up next door. I can’t find anyone in our town who would be happy with this kind of situation. But more important, our zoning code doesn’t allow operations that kill animals to be less than 1000 feet from homes, and they are not allowed in the industrial park that the slaughter company has chosen. But this didn’t stop Claremont, NH’s Zoning Board of Adjustment from granting a variance to the business that wants to kill 12,000 pigs next to my house – 12,000 every year!

In addition, the Board apparently didn’t listen to the facts and research on all the related problems—including increased violent crime when slaughterhouses come into communities and how rodent poisons also kill wildlife who eat the poisoned rats and mice. The Board ignored the petition signed by 139 people, opposing the slaughterhouse location. And, amazingly, they never publicly discussed (their discussions must be public) that the slaughter would take place directly across the street – 500 feet away – from the main entrance to our municipal airport, increasing the chances of big bird strikes from eagles and hawks and the like, who hunt the rodents.

So, I appealed the decision with the help of an attorney – who kindly wrote the appeal at no cost to me – and asked for a rehearing. The Board members said they’d done nothing wrong and refused to honor my request. Well, you guessed it – that didn’t stop me! I filed a complaint with the NH Superior Court, which will consider my request. To represent me in court, an attorney, who specializes in environmental and land law, costs $10,000. I’ve asked family and friends far and wide to help me pay the legal fees, and many are, yet there is still a long way to go to raise $10,000 before the July 8th court date. I want to add, that many people are helping me in this process, and I’m thankful. Really thankful!

If you can contribute – even a little bit – to help stop this gruesome operation from happening within the city limits of our small New England community and right next door to my house, then I and everyone opposing the slaughterhouse location will be grateful, always! And if we raise more money than we need, we will pay it forward to support another organization or group that is working to stop slaughterhouses from being built, anywhere. Please make suggestions as to where we can pay it forward.

Thank you so much!

Brian Gobin and the 15 co-signers of the appeal