No mink farm moratorium, minister says

New rules are needed for Nova Scotia's growing mink industry, said Agriculture Minister John MacDonell, but he doesn't support a moratorium on new farms.

"The legislation around this is quite old and so we'd like to have a re-look at what we should be doing in the 21st century around these operations," MacDonell told CBC News.

Some people in the southwestern part of the province complain that run-off from mink farms is polluting lakes and rivers.

Debbie Hall, who lives on Lake Fanning in Carleton, Yarmouth County, said she can't go in the water because of green algae she believes is caused from run-off upstream.

"The most excess nutrient level is occurring at the headwaters. That's not natural. That's not normal. What's at the headwaters? Mink farms," said Hall.

Hall and others have shown government officials photos of the algae and the situation at one farm, where hundreds of mink carcasses lie in a pool of water, rotting in the sun.

Though MacDonell agrees new rules and inspections are needed, he disagrees with critics who want a moratorium on mink farm permits.

He said the impact of the farms on the environment must be studied.

Mink farming has a long tradition in Nova Scotia. There are now close to 80 farms and up to 1.5 million mink raised each year, according to the local development authority.

The industry is worth as much as $100 million a year.