Position in Brief: The LWV supports strict regulation of large-scale livestock
facilities on the state, regional and county levels to include statewide environmental controls,
public hearings prior to siting and regional and/or county control of siting.
Full Statement of Where We Stand on Large Scale Livestock Facilities
League Activity/Outlook:
Environmental groups and local citizens' groups have been
working together to oppose a large-scale dairy in Jo Daviess
County. This mega-farm would be the largest such confinement
farm operation ever proposed in Illinois and one
sited just
a few miles from the Apple River Canyon State Park.
According to the Illinois Environmental Council, current Illinois
laws such as the Livestock Management Facilities Act
were written to cover confinement operations with a maximum
of 7,000 animals and are inadequate to address the problems
that come with industrial farming on the scale proposed for
this mega-dairy.
On February 12, 2008, the Jo Daviess County Board
rejected the proposal, but state law states that the county's
vote is not binding. The law was changed four years
ago giving full control over whether to grant a permit to
the state. State law also all but cuts the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) out of the permit process, giving
almost total authority to the Department of Agriculture. Although
the proposed dairy farm did not meet all of the 8 guidelines
for the siting of a large-scale farm, the Illinois
Department of Agriculture (IDA) approved the permit,
and Jo Daviess County will now have a large-scale dairy.
The effects on the community of large-scale livestock facilities
are well documented. The outlook for Illinois is not good.
Small Illinois farms are going out of business. It
seems likely that more mega-farms are coming to Illinois.
They have been pushed out from other states leaving their
damage behind.
Law suits are pending; however, the best hope, environmental
groups believe, is to change state law and return the power
of siting to regional and/or local control.
Interested in working on this issue?
Please email issues@lwvil.org
and cite the Issue on the subject line.
Additional Resource:
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