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Administrative Challenge of Crawford County’s Decision to Issue a License for the Expansion of Roth Feeder Pigs, Inc.
Background: Wisconsin’s Livestock Facilities Siting Law has been used by the livestock industry to accelerate the growth of factory farming by stripping from local governments their traditional authority to control land use in their own communities. The law makes it extremely difficult for towns and counties to enact strict environmental protections for air and water, or to prohibit massive CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) altogether – regardless of local interests. In exchange for this industry giveaway, the Siting Law allows (but does not require) local governments to issue a license for new or expanding livestock operations. But these local licenses can only require that the operation meet certain minimum state standards, and nothing more. Less than fifty towns and counties in Wisconsin currently have a livestock siting ordinance, and Crawford County is one of them. The County’s livestock siting ordinance requires compliance with the state standards before a license will be issued. One of the minimum state standards in the Siting Law addresses nutrient management – that is, how, when, and where the operator plans to dispose of its excess manure. The Siting Law – and, by reference, Crawford County’s siting ordinance – asks an applicant to demonstrate compliance with a commonly-accepted nutrient management standard known as the 590 Standard, developed by the U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service. This standard grants some protection against water pollution, but was developed with maximum crop growth in mind. All of the citizens who are parties to the challenge live or own land within two miles of Roth Feeder Pigs, and will be directly affected by the proposed expansion. These citizens became very active and organized early in the process, and hired their own nutrient management and groundwater experts to review Roth’s application. Deficiencies were uncovered in Roth’s application and Nutrient Management Plan, deficiencies that could lead to contamination of local streams with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous. While not a party to the challenge, the Crawford Stewardship Project was instrumental in rallying the community around this issue. The CSP is committed to promoting methods of agriculture that are safe, humane, profitable, and environmentally sustainable, while preserving economic opportunities for all citizens. Status: On February 1, 2008, Midwest Environmental Advocates filed a Request for Review and a Statement of Position with the Wisconsin Livestock Facilities Siting Review Board on behalf of twenty-eight concerned neighbors of Roth Feeder Pigs, Inc. Once the Board has received the certified record of decision from Crawford County, it will schedule the challenge for the next available Board meeting. On April 18, 2008, the Livestock Facility Siting Review Board (LFSRB) voted to overturn the decision of Read MEA’s Press Release on the victory here.
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Siting Review Board Reverses Crawford County Decision on Hog Farm Expansion Citizens Challenge Crawford County's Decision to Approve Expanding Hog Operation Citizens Challenge Crawford County's Decision to Approve Expanding Hog Operation Midwest Environmental Advocates: Citizens Challenge Crawford County's Decision to Approve Expanding Hog Operation
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