Paraguayan tannery is "a victim of progress"
14/10/2011
Walter Antonio Gilardoni and Eugenio Palacios Centurión, owners of the Areguá tannery, have told local media that they are being forced out as a result of protests from residents of new parts of the town of Areguá. The tannery has occupied the same location on the outskirts of the town for 25 years.
There were no houses in the area at the time and the tannery operated without any problems. The two owners insist that the tannery still meets all the requirements laid down by the ministry for the environment, Seam.
In recent years, however, new housing districts have grown up around the tannery and have complained about industrial activity taking place so close to their homes. Mr Palacios and Mr Gilardoni have argued that the fault lies with the town authorities who, in their view, ought to have designated their part of Areguá as an industrial area.
A court hearing in June gave the owners a year to transfer their business to a new, non-residential site.
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