E-M:/ Free Press calls for moratorium on CAFOs

[Janet Kauffman <jkauffman@emich.edu>]

Title:

Detroit Free Press editorial today calls for a moratorium on CAFOs in Michigan.
See complete editorial at: http://www.freep.com/voices/editorials/ecafos29_20040229.htm

Factory Farms

As the manure flows into waterways, a moratorium remains the best solution

February 29, 2004

It's not yet spring, but almost any above-freezing temperatures bring the dreaded melt to CAFO country. In places such as Lenawee County, liquid manure put on frozen fields is running through and off the land, fouling creeks and drains.

... Downstream from the Lenawee CAFOs, as the River Raisin and the Tiffin
River flow, is Lake Erie, a body of water once again in trouble. Lake Erie
serves as a sort of bellwether for the bigger lakes.

... why does Michigan continue to tolerate this form of farming? Groups calling 
for a moratorium on new CAFOs include, most recently, the American Public 
Health Association, a group of 50,000 public health professionals. The International 
Joint Commission, which oversees U.S.-Canadian boundary issues, has recommended 
more study of CAFOs' impact on air quality, because of the ammonia they release.

These issues need to be resolved. While better regulation is certainly welcome, the state really ought to forbid more of these operations until real solutions emerge.