Michigan Factory Farms – So Bad They're A
Tourist Attraction
Consumer Group Brings European Farmers to See Hudson Area Dairies
Hudson, Michigan – Food & Water Watch, Environmentally
Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan and Michigan Sierra Club welcomed
farmers from France, Spain, and Germany for a first hand look at the
environmental and public health consequences of factory farm dairies in
south-central Michigan.
"Factory farm dairies in Michigan
are so bad that they're a tourist attraction," said Lynn Henning, Sierra
Club CAFO Water Sentinel and a leader of the Environmentally Concerned Citizens
of South Central Michigan. “Federal and state regulation of CAFOs is so
bad that my community has been targeted for European dairy operators to move in
here, buy up cheap land and operate without the kind of public health, water
and air protections that are required in their countries. Showing just how bad
it is in Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties is one way to advocate for stronger
laws here as well as to make sure Europeans don’t weaken their laws to
allow these horrible facilities to move into their communities.”
Factory farms have been linked to health problems for farm workers and
neighbors, and contaminated water and air in surrounding communities. Manure
from 10,000 factory farm cows is the equivalent of untreated sewage from a city
of 230,000 people. The stench alone can ruin rural communities, as residents
rush to shut their windows and bring their children indoors when the wind
shifts. These communities have been fighting lonely, uphill battles against
companies that take advantage of lax zoning and environmental laws.
"The U.S. EPA and state agencies turn a blind eye to the air and
water pollution caused by giant dairies and other factory farms," said
Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch’s Executive Director. "Rural
communities and U.S.
consumers deserve better."
Factory farming can also affect the health of consumers far from the
dairy. According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), the overuse
of antibiotics for livestock is creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria that
threaten human health. An estimated 70% of antibiotics used in the United States
are for promoting growth and preventing disease in food animals.
"We wanted to see Michigan
factory dairies because big agriculture interests plans to export the factory
farm model to Europe and replace our
traditional family dairies," said Jean Cabaret, a French dairy farmer and
member of the French farmers union Confederation Paysanne. “Europeans
want sustainable, chemical free, and humanely raised dairy and meat products
– not factory farm pollution."
Industrial agriculture companies like Smithfield Foods have expanded
their operations in parts of Europe
dramatically in recent years, transforming the landscape from one of numerous
small family farms to one of giant hog confinement facilities. The European
Union is in the process of reforming their Common Agricultural Policy for
dairy, which could drive European dairy farmers out of business and into a
model similar to the U.S system. Food & Water Watch and Confederation
Paysanne Europe, a network of European farm organizations, support efforts to
encourage local production of food by numerous sustainable family farms instead
of an industrialized model that relies on factory farms.
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For more information on Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South
Central Michigan, see http://www.nocafos.org/
For more information on Food & Water Watch, see www.foodandwaterwatch.org
For more information on the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, see www.michigan.sierraclub.org/index.shtml