Abu Salim's pig farm near Smakiyyeh village in Karak (Photo by Thameen Kheetan)

KARAK - When Abu Salim turned his poultry farm into a pig farm 22 years ago, he never thought his decision would spark a seven-year crisis in two neighbouring villages.

Residents and officials of Hmoud and Smakiyyeh in the south are calling for closing down his pig farm and four others in the area because they "stink".

"We have been breathing infected air for seven years… and putting up with flies and insects," Smakiyyeh resident Jalal Bawalsa told The Jordan Times, noting that Abu Salim's 200-pig farm was located some 2km east of their homes.

He said that the bad smell is usually carried by the westerly wind every 10 days.

Bawalsa, one of the main activists in the campaign against the farms, said he still had a petition signed two years ago by 190 villagers.

The petition is among dozens sent to the environment, agriculture and interior ministries over the past seven years by villagers who are against the pig farms as well as those who say they are not affected, in addition to farmers in the area, which is about 100km south of the capital.

After a series of decisions by the Environment Ministry to shut down all five pig farms in the area, Karak Governor Fawwaz Ersheidat has given the owners until March 30, 2009 to close down their farms or relocate.

The farmers claim they were "forced to sign guarantees under the threat of arrest", which stipulate they are liable to pay JD10,000 if they do not comply.

Two of them, Samir Amarin and his nephew Tareq, said they were detained for five hours at the Karak Rehabilitation and Correctional Centre three weeks ago, when they refused to sign.

But Ersheidat denied detaining the two men, noting that they eventually signed the guarantee, when they felt they might be held.

Environmental issue

According to Jamil Jaafreh, president of the Jordan Environment Society’s Karak branch, the issue is environmental, not religious, as all those concerned - both protestors and farm owners - are Christians.

"Pigs feed on waste," he said, adding that there is basically no solution for their odour.

Al Qasr Agriculture Director Issa Jalamdeh attributed the bad smell to the pigs’ diet of dead chickens.

"The solution is to use concentrated high-protein fodder, which is clean," he said, responding to farmers who say pigs need more protein than any other animal.

Minister of Environment Khalid Irani visited Karak late last month and toured the farms, where he agreed with the owners on setting certain environmental criteria.

These include feeding pigs with regular fodder instead of chicken, according to Karak Environment Director Haitham Adaileh, who noted that wastewater and sewage from the farms must be disposed in closed pits or incinerated under the ministry's supervision.

Adaileh criticised the fact that slaughterhouses inside the farms are not being supervised by the ministry, noting that some farms are located close to the village, which is also a violation.

"The Environment Ministry is already shutting down pig farms, but the execution of the decision is the governorate's task," he said, adding that although the complaints are only directed against Abu Salim's farm, the ministry should check on the rest.

But the absence of clear legislation is still an obstacle for both the government and the farmers.

Adaileh cited the example of a farm owned by the Burgan family, which does not violate environmental rules, but is on the list of farms slated for closure as it is not licensed.

He explained that issuing licences was the duty of the Agriculture Ministry.

As of the end of March 2009, the Karak Governorate will be shutting down pig farms that do not abide by the set conditions, but it seems that farmers do not have the will for taking action.

"I cannot do anything; let them bring their vehicles and destroy the farm… it is in the desert, where shall I go? They are asking me to stay out of residential areas and I am already out," Tareq Amarin noted.

Abu Salim also said he had no intention of relocating his farm.

The 60-year-old farmer told The Jordan Times that he buries the pigs' waste in a pit at the farm or incinerates it in a landfill he owns in the desert, after he was prevented from using Karak landfills.

"We wanted to use the waste as plant fertilisers, but the government would not give us permission," he said.

He explained that pig farming flourished in Jordan after the 1994 Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty, when Qualifying Industrial Zones were established in different parts of the Kingdom, including Karak.

"We used to sell pork to some hotels in the capital [before the treaty], but now we sell in Amman, Aqaba and to kitchens of the industrial zones," where many Asian workers are employed.

Abu Salim noted that he would not be able to afford to pay for his son’s medical studies in the Ukraine without the $5,000 he earns monthly from selling pork.

Samir Amarin, the owner of the only farm in Hmoud, seems to be luckier.

Some 300 residents have signed a paper agreeing to the farm's presence in their village. They said whenever there is a bad smell, Amarin immediately sprays chemicals and it stops.

Meanwhile, Smakiyyeh residents are not satisfied with the March deadline, predicting a long period of “suffering" in winter when the wind blows stronger.

"I want to leave for Amman and give my house keys to the governor," said Smakiyyeh resident, Zaal Hijazin, adding that he suffers from asthma because of the stink of Abu Salim's pigs.

Jordan Times, 5 September 2008