Friends of Rural New York

Rumor of pig farm has neighbors up in arms

http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2007/11/17/news/local_news/news04.txt

By Kathleen Barran / The Citizen
Saturday, November 17, 2007 12:10 AM EST

Although residents have appealed to town officials to help prevent a
large pig farm from opening in Montezuma, the town’s planning board
told
them this week that there’s not much that can be done at this point,
largely because nothing has been formally proposed.

On Tuesday, Dan Randolph and some members of his group of residents,
known as Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Montezuma, presented the

planning board with information he thought would be helpful: how the
permitted process works for a CAFO and what permits have to be applied
for before an ordinance can be written.

While Randolph intends to stop Richard Snyder from building an
operation
with as many as 2,000 swine to protect the environment as well as the
health and safety of Montezuma residents, he said his organization has
a
broader purpose that could be applied to others in the area concerned
about the environmental impact of corporate farming.

While there are 28 state-registered CAFOs in Cayuga County, most of
them
dairy, planning board chairman Joseph Verdi said nobody on the board
really knew how many there were in the Montezuma area. Verdi also said
that, depending on the kind of animal being raised, numbers vary to
qualify a farm as a CAFO.

Verdi said the planning board was in the midst of writing a subdivision

code. It was also writing a comprehensive plan to suggest laws that
might govern the direction of the community at large.

Montezuma is zoned 90 percent agricultural/residential, according to
Verdi, with a small commercial area, small industrial area, and open
land for the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge.

Verdi characterized the pig farming concerns of some residents as “a
lot
of stir up over nothing. We haven’t seen any documentation to
consider.”

Snyder, the man rumored to be considering raising pigs, doesn’t even
own
the property, a vacant dairy farm near the intersection of East Loop
and
Denman roads, zoned agricultural.

“There’s nothing to say yes or no to,” Verdi said.

Some residents presented the board with paperwork to consider, related
to CAFOs, and Verdi said the planning board would be collecting data
from the state over the next six months to add to its comprehensive
plan.

“We draw up drafts and the town board votes on it. They file with the

state and the state reviews the plan,” Verdi said.

Farming falls under New York state regulations, with the planning and
zoning boards issuing building permits.

“Future planning includes encouraging types and size of farms as well
as
collecting state guidelines,” Verdi said.

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or

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What’s Polluting Our Rivers?

Who doesn’t want cleaner lakes and rivers? Some Senators, it seems. A bill making its way through the Senate is asking that animal waste be exempt from a law that helps protect our water. But discharge from animals on large-scale farms is a major source of pollution of our nation’s waterways. According to a Congressional study, 1.4 billion tons of waste is generated by animals on megafarms in more than 40 states. That’s 130 times the amount of waste that the entire American population produces in a year. Not only does this pollution kill fish and aquatic life, it also seeps into our drinking water.

What do you think? Tell your Senators how you feel in the comments section below the online article.
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