Three family members shared concerns with council of a foul odor coming from a local meat-processing manufacturer, a stench they said is worse than the smell of death.

Tom Williamson, Neil Williamson and Doris Williamson from Walton, Ont. arrived at Seaforth’s historic town hall October 6 and voiced to the members of council the burden that has been bothering them since 2013.





They stated the waste from deceased animals at Bachert Meats is causing an awful scent throughout the neighbourhood. At the delegation Williamson, Tom and Doris spoke about the specific nature of their problems. The main issue, according to them, is the large cement tank, which holds all the company’s waste, what they believe, is causing the foul smell. In the request form given to council they stated this is causing “de-valuation of property values.”

“It’s really the smell of death, rotting smelling death,” Williamson directed to the Expositor outside council chambers. “We had deer, wild turkeys, they all went away and we had about 40-50 scavenger birds because they could smell the blood.”

Doris, whose house is approximately 800-900 feet away from the Bachert Meats property, reported the occurrence to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and Lee Orphan, ministry director in the southwest region, responded with feedback in a two-page document.

The document stated: “At the request of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Bachert Meats has hired a nutrients management consultant certified under the Nutrient Management Act to prepare a Non-Agricultural Sources plan for the wash water. Bachert Meats has also hired a company to land apply the wash water in accordance with the approved NASM Plan.”

Owner of Bachert Meats, Marvin Bachert, said he’s spent thousands of dollars on chemicals, all in confidence to stop the smell permanently. He said he communicated with other residents in the area who have complained about the odor in the past. They told him ever since he covered the large cement contraption with 15 large bails of straw the smell has minimized substantially.

“I’m actually heart broken there is an odor issue and the neighbours are upset,” Bachert,” said in a phone conversation October 8.

When originally building the cement tank he had the option of paying $80,000 or $160,000 for a tank with a cover. At the time Bachert admitted he was not able to afford the more expensive tank.

“If I only would (have known) there was going to be an odor issue, I defiantly would have chose the (tank with a cover),” Bachert said.

To solve this matter the Williamsons indicated the most successful action, which made the most sense, would be for Bachert to potentially transfer the liquids elsewhere instead of transporting the waste on the property.

“Hauled to where, you want to put it into a town and try to make them treat all this and try to make it into clean water, that’s ridiculous, when the land and the crops can use the nitrogen,” added Bachert.

The trio of frustrated Huron County residents concluded and said, “there is a right way and a wrong way. All we want is a clean environment, we don’t want this stuff going into the lake and polluting it and creating more algae.”