A zoning amendment to allow the raising of rodents for reptile food on a property south of Harriston has been approved by town council.
Clifford resident Greg Andrews plans to operate the rodent farm, as well as a store selling pets and pet supplies at the property on Wellington Road 109, formerly the site of the Harriston Pork Marketing Co-operative sales barn.
Wellington County senior planner Mark Van Patter told council during a public meeting on Sept. 17 his department has no concerns with the rezoning.
Located on prime agricultural land, the two-acre property is currently zoned agricultural commercial, which does not allow for the raising of livestock.
The amendment passed at the Sept. 17 meeting creates an exemption to allow for the raising of rodents for reptile food, as well as a pet store, related pet supplies and an office. The current zoning already allows a single-detached dwelling and Andrews said he is considering building a home and living on the property.
Van Patter said the farm, once operational, could generate 10,000 rodents a week.
“It may seem like a lot, but all that really means is one cube van per week delivering them to pet stores in the region,” said Van Patter, noting the operation is not expected to generate a large amount of waste. “In terms of biomass it’s not really very much.”
Van Patter pointed out in his report, “Rats and mice are gassed and frozen whole; there is no disassembly of the animal.”
Andrews added while some of the animals will be gassed, “the main service I provide is selling live rodents to the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener.”
Andrews is not new to the rodent farming business, having run a similar operation on his parents’ farm in Minto for 10 years, “starting from several rodents up to 100,000 in the barn at one time.”
After selling his original business several years ago, Andrews now says, “I’m looking to get back into the game and enjoy the passion of growing rodents again.”
Several councillors questioned Andrews about the possibility of the rodents getting loose, with councillor Dave Turton jestingly raising the spectre of the 1970s horror movie Willard.
However, Andrews pointed out the animals are used to being fed and sheltered and “escapism is limited.”
“People get the picture that it’s just a barn full of rats running around,” said Andrews. “That’s not what it is at all. It’s very much laboratory style … just imagine a bunch of book shelves with Rubbermaid storage units on them.”
Any animals that do get away tend not to survive for long, said Andrews.
“They’re not as hardy as their wild counterparts; they’ll curl up and just freeze to death if they get out.”
Councillor Rick Hembly said Andrews’ explanation covers the question he most expects to hear from local citizens about the operation.
“What’s the fail safe if they get out? I guess if they’re all going to curl up and die that’s not too bad a result,” said Hembly, adding from an economic development perspective “it’s nice to see a new business come to town.”
Andrews said his previous business employed five or six high school students to help with chores and he hopes to hire about the same number once his new operation is up and running.
Andrews was unable to offer a timeline for getting the business operational, noting he had not yet finalized the purchase of the property and the building will require “major renovations” before it can be used for the intended purpose.
