Tough Week for Factory Farms

In Michigan, Vreba-Hoff farms recently came under fire for spraying liquid manure into the air, a practice that is particularly problematic this time of year, as cold weather increases the potential for contaminating groundwater. The breech was first reported by the Sierra Club, whose representatives also noted that Vreba-Hoff also began digging a sewage lagoon late last year without reporting it to the state first. The new lagoon was not found in violation of any laws, though a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Quality said he would like to have seen more “dialogue.” The Michigan chapter of the Sierra Club is no stranger to confronting CAFOs–last year they produced a nightmarish documentary on hog farms.

In a similar story, meat processors Tyson Foods and Michael Foods both agreed (separately) to pay nearly $1 million each for mishandling manure. Tyson agreed to fund several environmentally-friendly projects and install more odor-reducing technology, while Michael was fined just over $1 million for failure to comply with the Clean Water Act.

Of course, water is not the only natural resource impacted by factory farm waste. Air pollution is a major factor, and so are workers’ rights. Read more about factory farm issues on our Issues pages.