Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 2/14/18


A group made up of 55 organizations is asking Iowa lawmakers to support a proposed legislative moratorium on new and expanded large livestock farms in Iowa, citing a “water pollution crisis” in the state.

Iowa is home to a large number of hog farms.  

The groups sent a joint letter to all of Iowa state legislators alleging that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state governments have failed to regulate the environmental impacts of these farms and Iowa waterways are “some of the worst in the nation.” The letter also notes that Iowa’s livestock farms generate an estimated 22 billion gallons of manure annually that are applied to fields at rates that crops are unable to effectively process, resulting in harmful run offs into rivers and streams.

The letter also explains that local communities have very little influence in the establishment of new or expanded farms. Nearly 25 percent of Iowa counties have passed resolutions in favor of stronger local control or a legislative moratorium regarding the process of approving new or expanded family farms, the letter added.

Groups signing the letter included the Iowa Citizens for Community Development, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety, Green State Solutions and Waterkeeper Alliance Inc., among others.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.