Indiana’s CAFO Moritorium
Well, on Sunday, the Pal-Item ran a letter in opposition to the recent call for a CAFO moratorium in Indiana. Local clean water advocate Barbara Cox has put together her own letter on why the moratorium deserves serious consideration. As the hearing on the bill is coming up, and the Pal-Item might not get to Ms. Cox’s letter, I will share it here.
The bill referenced is Senate Bill 447, proposed by Senator Paul:
In this Legislation Session there will be the opportunity to place a moratorium on the building of CAFOS (confined feeding animal operations). The question is why. Here are the reasons we desperately need a moratorium in Indiana.
First, Indiana does not have a financial assurance package. Without having the package, any operator who either decides to quit or fails due to financial difficulties can walk away and leave millions of gallons of manure for the State to clean up. Who pays for this? We the taxpayers. Many of the CAFOs are owned or contacted by large corporations from out of state. If they want to do business in Indiana, they should be willing to put up a bond for cleanup.
The second concern is for the health of the residents who are forced to live next to them. In Indiana there is not even an air monitor for monitoring the air around CAFOs even though the facts have been studied and the emissions contain hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. In fact, last year five people living near a CAFO were ill and IDEM did not have a monitor for agricultural use. If you are living near a CAFO you are on your own to protect your health.
Third, our waters in Indiana are impaired with e-coli, certainly not all the pollution is caused by CAFO, but until we have deeper setbacks from waterways when spreading manure, we can expect to see more pollution.
Fourth, the operators who haul and spread the manure are not required to have any training or license. All septic waste haulers must be licensed, yet you can haul thousands of gallons of manure contaminated with cleaning solutions and medicines with out a license? My vehicle was sprayed with manure on a state highway last summer and I know others who have had the same disgusting experience.
We need deeper setbacks from all residences. It is a sad fact that farmers have worked their whole lives to build assets in a farm and home only to see it devalue because a CAFO moved in next door.
In Indiana, there has been a push to double the pork production. What they did not do was have the proper regulations in place before starting the program. This is why we must have a moratorium to stop, study, and regulate before allowing any more to build. North Carolina has a moratorium and some other States have good regulations. It seems the citizens of Indiana deserve better than what we are seeing happen now. INDIANA NEEDS A MORATORIUM ON CONSTRUCTION OF NEW CAFOS.
Barbara Sha Cox
P.O. Box 1572
Richmond, Indiana 47375
January 27th, 2007 17:09
I am sorry to report that SENATE BILL No. 447 is not on ‘CONFINED’ but ‘CONCENTRATED’ animal feeding operations, a division incorporated by the state. These are the larger factory farms and it (the bill) leaves the smaller operations to multiply freely and continue to destroy the environment and the homes and lives of anyone around them.
Meanwhile SENATE BILL No.431, authored by Senator Gard will remove the threat of serious criminal charges for the crimes of these so-called farms against the people, the environment, or the state.
January 27th, 2007 20:06
Another bill on the table, SB 173, sponsored by Senator Jackman who, if I’m not mistaken, owns one of these operations, (Requires a court to award reasonable costs and attorney’s fees to an agricultural or industrial operation that successfully defends a nuisance action.)
This after another of his bills (that immunized agricultural operations when they changed from smaller part-time affairs to bigger full-time affairs, defining that not to be a “significant change.”)
January 30th, 2007 00:05
No-one is forced to live next to a CAFO. They have the option to move if they don’t like it. I’m sure the person trying to put in a CAFO was there long before any of the neighbors moved there. What gives you the right to tell them what they can and cannot do for a living! Do they tell you what you can do for a living? Let them live their own lives and mind your own busines!!
January 31st, 2007 01:12
This is for “pig lover”. In response to ,”No-one is forced to live next to a CAFO. They have the option to move if they don’t like it.”
First, the option to move is no longer an option after a CAFO moves in. Large CAFO reduce property values anywhere between 20-70%. Houses have been for sale for YEARS, due to the stink that CAFO’s make.
Second, large CAFO’s come in and contaminate their neighbors water and air and dry up neighboring wells.
Third, What gives the CAFO owners the right to
Depreciate property values within 2 miles of them?
Fourth, most large CAFO owners live more than two miles from their farms, where the destruction of water, clean air are not around their homes. They are making PLENTY of money to provide for their families.
Fifth, ” Let them live their own lives and mind your own busines!!” What about the neighbors trying to live their own lives? Before a large CAFO moves in, there were not 500 flies on the inside of their cars, empty wells, UNBEARABLE STENCH, the ability to be able to sell their homes for what they are worth. Cafo neighbors ARE trying to live their own lives but are being put in horrendous situations. When will the LARGE CAFO owners ever have ENOUGH MONEY to be satisfied? They make their money at the expense and disregaurd of other human beings?
February 1st, 2007 03:47
Thank you Jane for your comments. After 10 years of living peacefully with and in support the crop farmers and the wonderful environment in which we chose to make our home, our property, our home, and our lives were destroyed instantly by a cfo. Our cherished creek is now just a filthy, stinking ditch! We cannot even get a realtor to list us. They all shake their heads and say,”You’ll never sell it.” And why should we have to? Its our home! And because we objected to this place and reported their constant felony crimes, we are gleefully harassed by remembers of the industry. There is nothing they can do for which the prosecutor will hold them responsible. Sending them the message that they can do ANYTHING they want to us with impunity! They call us up and cuss us out. They drive by our home, stop, get out and drop their pants. We have it on tape! Pig lover, how do you live with yourself?
March 23rd, 2007 12:43
My heart goes out to everyone that has had to put up with one of these abominations. No one should have to leave their home or put up with the stink, etc. I guess people aren’t paying attention to what has happened in other states.They keep saying they are good stewards of the land. Greed is talking here. Little farmers are being run out. Those are the good stewards of the land. In my opinion the Governor and any CAFO owner should have to live next to one. I can bet that would solve our problem right away. I don’t want our state to be known as the cesspool state. Now, they are saying these CAFOs are a contributer to global warming. How about that? Down the road, our good drinking water will be gone. The road ahead does not look too bright.
March 31st, 2007 23:48
We are on the web searching CAFO’s in Indiana. We live in Ohio and are going to relocate in the near future. We are relocating because a 2500 hog CAFO moved in next door to us. The family farm of 35+ years does not mean anything to the Ohio Dept. of Ag or the man from The Netherlands that came in last year. We are going to sell (we hope) before the CAFO increases to 6700 hogs. The stench of 2500 hogs is bad, but I do not want to wait to see the stench of 6700 hogs. We were here first, but we will not be the last. Unfortunately, it looks like we need to be careful in relocating to Indiana. At least the politicians in Indiana are trying to accomplish something to help people like us, where Ohio is not helped us at all. The local level has been stripped of any say so in the matter. It appears the pork industry rules in Ohio, not the politicians.
November 7th, 2007 14:29
we have a 10,000 hog factory waiting to pass the area planning commission and we have appealed ti!
what areas of counter-attack do we have as far as hard data and documentation that we can use against these cafo’s?
thanks
mark