by Nancy Gardiner
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 04/97) - Frank Richardson is waiting for someone to close down his hog operation.

"I'm not sure I'm going to shut down, but I feel the government will shut me down," says the owner of Northern Pork. "I'm positive they will shut me down. It's up to the government because I have a mortgage with them," he says.

Richardson's operation is $1.4 million in debt, he says. It's a debt that accumulated largely from unpaid feed bills that date back to 1995 through 1997, he confirms.

Richardson's only employee left on July 1. Since then, Richardson has been managing the pig barn himself.

And a former manager is seeking about $40,000 in unpaid back wages for overtime, Richardson says.

Coupled with financial woes, the meat processing facility in Hay River which processes Northern Pork's meat is in the throes of closure. But it's not the only factor affecting the operation, said Richardson.

Taxes are $5,000 annually for the pig barn, for one thing.

"All my time is devoted to legal and political hassles. How can I run my farm?" he asks.

"We're not making money. There's no way to make a profit on it. And we can't make our financial commitments."