Friends of Rural New York

A new EPA rule proposed to regulate factory farms falls disappointingly short of protecting the environment and more importantly public health. The rule fails to force factory farms to prevent pathogens—disease-causing bacteria, parasites and viruses—from entering waterways. According to the EPA’s own estimates the 2.7 trillion pounds of waste produced each year by factory farms has already contaminated approximately 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and drinking water in 17 states. By not addressing pathogens the EPA has failed to take action to address real health risks for people who might come into contact with these waters.

The rule also allows factory farms to decide for themselves whether or not they need to apply for a Clean Water Act permit. Since factory farms are unlikely to own up to discharging pollution, the under-funded agencies now in charge of the permits will likely have difficulties holding factory farms accountable for their pollution.

The public has until August 14 to comment on this proposed rule.

http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/afo/aforule.cfm

A FOOD CHAIN RELEASE FROM METROFARM.COM

In 1930, the United States had 6.3 million farms; in 2000, it had only 2.1 million. Some say the 27 million people who lived on those farms were deliberately forced off in a Stalin-like purge. This leads one to ask, “What did happen to all the farmers?”

This Saturday at 9AM Pacific, the Food Chain with Michael Olson hosts Thomas Pawlick, author of The End of Food, and Cyrill Vatomsky, host of the Embassy of the New World Order radio program, for a comparison of Soviet collectivization and American consolidation.   

Log on to listen live or delayed, on your radio, computer or IPOD

Topics include why Stalin purged the family-scaled farmers of the Soviet Union; why they were also forced off the land throughout the Americas; and what impact their loss might have on the security of the food chain.

Listeners are invited to call the program on theirlocal stationor log them to the Forum page at http://www.metrofarm.com.

GRACE published photos of a New York State livestock factory. The “farm” depicted is the Church Street Dairy in Eden New York owned by Russell Barton, former President of the Erie County Farm Bureau. Neighbors tell us that this livestock factory stinks and is filthy. It is only a mile from town center thereby inflicting foul odors on the town’s populace. The alleged “farm” is permitted by the DEC for 699 cows on only one acre of land! The operation is part of the Upstate Farm Collective which is owned and operated by 350 livestock factories. see: http://upstatefarmscoop.com
SEE:
http://www.factoryfarm.org/resources/photos/dairies/11.php

If the link doesn’t work, just go to the Photo Gallery section on
factoryfarm .org

Let’s hope that this is an honest effort and not the usual theater we get where a task force is studying the issue and just regurgitates industry propaganda!

The Pew Charitable Trusts has created the independent National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, with a $2.6 million grant to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Commission will be conducting a national study of large-scale animal agriculture, considering such matters as animal welfare, antibiotics, avian influenza, and the environment. It is made up of 19 members as diverse as actress Daryl Hannah, Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. President Thomas Hayes, and James Merchant, dean of the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health. It began operating in March and plans a national publicity campaign in September. The panel plans at least six public hearings before making recommendations in about 2 years. Pew is a nonprofit organization, founded by heirs of the Sun Oil Company. It has financed studies of a wide range of social issues.

If they can’t even get a milk truck into the dairy farms due to
flooding, what do you think the lagoons look like?

They have to be totally destroyed and overflowing all over NY State.

Where is the news coverage of this?

Farms to be allowed to regulate themselves!
See:
http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2006/06/30/cafo-waste/