Twenty rabbits equals one animal unit
Richard Froese
For the Lakeside Leader
Big Lakes County has approved a new Land-Use Bylaw that now allows people living in a Country Residential (CR) district to have a limited number of farm animals on their property.
Council gave third and final reading to the bylaw, after a quiet public hearing on July 23. Nor did the county receive any written submissions on the bylaw change, council heard.
An earlier version of the same bylaw was defeated back in May, after a public hearing. It effectively forced the whole process to start over again.
The only difference in the newer version, council heard, was the inclusion of rabbits, plus a disclaimer about un-weaned calves, foals, lambs, kids and piglets not being considered ‘animal units.’
The recommended amendment aligns with other municipalities, county planning and development manager Pat Olansky told council. In some cases it’s even less restrictive, she added.
Under the new bylaw, in the CR district, on parcels of land larger than 0.4 hectares (one acre), livestock will be limited to no more than one animal unit, to a maximum of six animal units per parcel.
Council added limits for properties less than one acre in size, and larger than six acres. The number and type of animals may be mixed, but the total number of animals can’t exceed the sum of the total number of animal units allowed.
A horse and a cow are one animal unit apiece. For goals, sheep and pigs (excluding wild pigs), two animals equals one animal unit. For poultry, it’s a dozen birds per animal unit, and for rabbits – 20.
Other animals will be considered at the discretion of the Big Lakes development authority.
Big Lakes has 133 CR properties, council heard.
The purpose of the limits – or one of them – is to minimize conflicts between neighbours, which Olansky told council it should accomplish.
The only concern about the bylaw amendment was expressed by Sarah Cairns, who looks after agriculture services for the county. She said anyone who owns livestock or poultry in Alberta is required to have a Premises Identification (PID) number.
But council decided the county will just recommend livestock owners get a PID, and leave it up to them.
Many people don’t bother with the PID, Cairns said, but advises people to do it, or at least have some sort of emergency plan for their animals. Relying solely on the county in case of emergency isn’t a good idea, “as we often simply do not have the capacity for that,” she said.