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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
CONTACT: SEN. LIZ BRATER
CONTACT: SENATE
DEMOCRATS INTRODUCE BILLS TO PROTECT FAMILY FARMS, RURAL COMMUNITIES Muskegon,
Saginaw, Monroe, and LANSING—Addressing one of the greatest threats to Michigan family
farms, rural life, drinking water, and air quality, Senate Democrats, led by
Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor), ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture,
Forestry, & Tourism Committee, along with Rep. Frank Accavitti
(D-Eastpointe), today introduced legislation that would provide adequate
oversight for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), also known as
factory farms. Every year, these corporate animal factories put smaller
family farms and rural communities at risk by generating massive amounts of
pollution, contaminating Michigan’s air and water with animal waste and
toxic byproducts. “These operations are corporate animal factories, not
farms,” said Sen. Brater. “ Democrats referred to their package as AG SAFE, Adequate Guidelines for
Safer Animal Factory Emissions. The Senate legislation would:
“Farmers consider
themselves to be good stewards of land and water,” said Marilyn Momber,
President, Michigan Farmers Union. “We depend on “Companies who impede a farmer or rural resident’s ability to
work and live where they have for decades must be held accountable for their
actions,” said Sen. Burton Leland (D-Detroit). “The only way
to make them pay attention is to make them pay for the damages they
inflict.” Corporate farms create a net loss of employment because they drive
local farmers and the merchants that service them out of business. A
study by “Setting up a corporate animal factory next to a family homestead
is like building a multi-million dollar house and then pouring your sewage in the
neighbor’s ditch,” said Rep. Accavitti. “But the
multi-million dollar homes of factory farm executives are seldom near the
facilities themselves, and the large companies that run the operations contract
equipment and services. Host communities don’t even get compensated
for the stench they face daily.” Unmanaged livestock production is one of the biggest threats to
community health in rural areas, yet corporate factory farms are not subject to
the Clean Water Act, the federal rules and regulations to which all other
factories must adhere. The clay-lined lagoons that store manure at
corporate farms can be expected to leak up to several thousand gallons per acre
per day, contaminating drinking water, spreading disease, and affecting air
quality for miles. “Corporate animal factories are wreaking havoc on Residents living near corporate farms experience increased rates of
bronchitis, depression, headaches, diarrhea, shortness of breath, and an array
of other ailments. Additionally, birth defects and miscarriages in
communities surrounding factory farms have been linked to high levels of
nitrates and other chemicals that are produced when the excessive amounts of
chlorine required to “clean” contaminated drinking water mix with
organic matter, like fertilizer, in surface water. “As we work to strengthen and diversify our local and state
economies, we need to level the playing field so that small farmers can
compete,” said Sen. Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek). “An
indication of our competitiveness and quality of life is how we care for and
protect our environment. If we want to bring jobs to Waste produced by corporate factory farms contains antibiotic-resistant
bacteria, hormone-laced animal carcass remnants, and chemical byproducts.
Each “Corporate animal factories aren’t just a problem for the
communities where they exist. They affect the water supply, food quality,
and recreation areas of all AG SAFE is supported by Farms without Harm, Michigan Farmers Union,
Sierra Club, and Michigan Environmental Council. ### |