The family farm barely exists. Factory farms have taken over and are causing polluting our air, water and soil.
Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide fumes are a natural byproduct of the animal farms that supply America's meat. But as farms expand - some housing close to 100,000 livestock - so have concerns about air quality and the impact on people nearby. Studies near bigger farms, for example, have documented high rates of respiratory illness in the human population.
With the rise of so-called factory farms, pressure has increased to regulate animal operations like any other industry.
America's drinking water, rivers and lakes are at risk from giant, corporate-owned factory farms. These Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) confine thousands of animals in one facility, and produce staggering amounts of animal waste in the process (2.7 trillion pounds per year). Too often, this waste leaks into our rivers and streams, fouling our air, contaminating our drinking water and spreading disease. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, hog, chicken and cattle waste has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states.
Manure spills and intentional manure dumping at factory farms in 10 states killed 13 million fish in the late 1990s, according to a new report by a coalition of environmental groups. The report, produced by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), the Clean Water Network and the Izaak Walton League, documents more than 1,000 manure spills and 200 fish kills from 1995 through 1998. The report surveyed data from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Washington and Wisconsin.
"Lagoon overflows and over-application of manure at factory farms are polluting our lakes and rivers, killing our fish and wildlife, and threatening public health," says Nancy Stoner, director of NRDC's Clean Water Project. "The scope and severity of these pollution problems underscore the need for stronger federal and state regulation."
On February 9, 2005 the Bush Administration announced a deal that lets massive factory farms off the hook for any violations of air and toxic pollution right-to-know laws, while communities near these facilities wait in vain for relief. The fact is that rural families have been suffering from toxic pollution caused by factory farms for years.
In exchange, a handful of the massive factory farms will have their air emissions monitored. The fact is that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) already has the ability under the Clean Air Act to get this information from the polluters and doesn't need to give them a special "get out of jail free" card in order to find out about their emissions.
Any suggestions on fighting this?