Odors from a southwest Missouri hog farm has destroyed a community's quality of life, says more than 30 residents who filed a lawsuit against the two companies that operate the CAFO and the hog farmers themselves. The AP reports:

The lawsuit comes after a judge last year threw out regulations aimed at banning construction of the farm. The judge said township officials lacked the right to regulate agricultural structures, even though zoning regulations to deal with CAFOs passed with 81 percent of the vote in an April 2007 referendum.

Big no-no, Judge. The hogs have only been there a year, yet the lawsuit cites numerous health problems already plaguing local residents, like nausea, vomiting, headaches, and burning skin, eyes and throats. They say they can't spend time in their yards gardening or cooking, and can't hang clothes out to dry, because of foul odors. The waste-holding lagoons, as well as the practice of using hog waste as fertilizer on nearby farmland, are emitting methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide, among other toxic gases.

It's well documented that CAFOs harm human health and contribute to global warming. In a similar vein, a new study out of Johns Hopkins found that the powerful odors trailing trucks hauling chickens also contain potentially harmful airborne bacteria, including that which is antibiotic-resistant.

EPA recently finalized a rule to protect water quality by requiring CAFOs to safely manage their waste, and is working on air quality regulations specific to CAFOs, too. Let's hope the agency comes up with effective and fair regulations, as it hasn't always done what's best for the public and the planet. Otherwise, people neighboring CAFOs will have no other recourse but to take the pigs to court.

Source: Associated Press

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