A disputed fence has been removed at Alif Farms meat operation, but the business again drew complaints during a recent Mahoning Township supervisors meeting.

Todd Wingert of Mahoning Drive East told the board that a goat escaped Dec. 26 and was killed in public view, something that he said no one in the neighborhood should have to witness.

Wingert said a neighbor recorded video of the incident and offered to show it to the supervisors, warning it was graphic. The video was not shown at the meeting.

“If it would have been any other day other than Dec. 26, school buses would have gone by,” Wingert said. “The neighbors and nobody should see a goat being slaughtered out in public. I believe it should be inside the building on a kill floor.”

Wingert said he wasn’t sure how the animal got loose, but said the video included a date stamp and was confirmed by the neighbor.

“And a matter of fact the goat ended up in her garage and startled her,” he said.

Board Chair Deb McGowan asked township zoning officer Ryan Wessner to look into the matter.

Wessner said he filed a report with the U.S. Department of Agriculture but had not heard back.

Wingert also raised concerns about possible conflicts of interest after noting he heard a board member helped place material at the property to improve access and drainage for neighbor Holly Heintzelman.

Supervisor Carol Etheridge said that she would defer to township solicitor Tom Nanovic.

Nanovic asked why Wingert believed there would be a conflict.

Wingert said he wasn’t sure if a board member could be paid for that type of work, but Nanovic said that he believed the board member was in that line of business.

The discussion follows last month’s meeting, when Alif Farms owner Moeed Malik told supervisors he would remove the fence by the end of March.

Wingert had also addressed the board then, saying warmer weather was bringing stronger odors from the property.

He said he feared the smell could drift toward the Lehighton Elementary Center and cause concern.

Wingert also said he was worried about goats getting loose near Route 902 and claimed garbage was again accumulating on the site.

Supervisor Mark Schwalm said he visited the property early that morning and found the garbage to be “basic” and properly handled.

A resident said the concern isn’t farming, but that a slaughterhouse is located next to homes and should never have been permitted. Malik said he has approached neighboring property owners about buying their homes.

That drew a sharp response from Heintzelman, who said Malik never offered a price and added, “They’re never selling to him.”

Malik also denied Wingert’s claim that a goat recently escaped, saying there hasn’t been “a goat on the run in the last 10 to 12 months.” He added that if false information was being spread, he would sue.

Heintzelman argued the permit only gives the property the right to operate as a slaughterhouse, while Wessner said the use applies to the parcel itself — an assessment Nanovic said he agreed with.

Malik said slaughtering takes place only between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. Schwalm said that during his visit, a USDA inspector was present.