"Dogs look up at you, cats look down at you, while pigs look you straight in the eye." - Churchill
A quick update on the hearing that took place yesterday.
Nothing was decided at this point. The lawyer representing our group handed over a 13-page Request of Admissions document for which they have 30 days to address our concerns.
Some interesting changes:
They will be injecting the manure -- but now it will be no more than 2 times per year.
They've also indicated they now have more than the original 500 acres for spreading the manure.
Plus, and I find this curious, they noted in court that they do NOT use antibiotics.
Now, it's interesting to note that on most swine factory farms (CAFO) the addition of antibiotics to feed, particularly for the first 3 weeks of life in piglets, is a standard practice. I'm curious as to the exact terminology they used when making the above statement.
Are they actually saying they don't use antibiotics that are on the new legislation list (those that are used in human medicine)? Or are they saying they don't use any kind of antibiotics at all?
Another new development -- they "asked us" to negotiate with them and "even offered to have a mediator" to get this issue finalized, per one of the adjoining landowners.
Now -- here's what I can't quite understand.
Does this mean the health and welfare of -- the residents -- the wildlife -- the environment -- are open for "negotiation" instead of protective legislation?
Thursday, February 02, 2006
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4 comments:
How can we unite across the state to get our message across that the people of Indiana don't want this?
Great question - and thanks for posting it! I'm thinking the first step we would need to take is find strong leadership, someone who can file the paperwork to create a formal "issues" based organization that can be recognized by the powers that be. Next, get the word out to all the various groups and individuals fighting CAFOs in Indiana to consolidate our resources and organize a gameplan that includes: educating the public, lobbying the government, organizing public protests at IDEM/ISDA and other related government meetings, petitioning officials at all levels of government for stronger laws to protect us all, and that's just the beginning. Five or ten years ago, it probably wouldn't be possible -- but, today there are several small groups of citizens fighting the CAFO issue scattered across the State of Indiana -- and the Internet presents a powerful vehicle for all of us to unite. You're comment is important. I'll post more in my blog today. Thanks again for posting it here!
I've started the conversation through this post. If you have any comments, suggestions and/or recommendations to add, be sure to post them in the comments. Thanks again for your important question!
FYI: Meeting: November 13 @ 7:00 p.m. at the Jasper County Court House Zoning Board of Appeals
I'm sure you received a letter - perhaps you wrote it!? Just wanted to make sure you were aware of the meeting! Thanks for your informative Blog...now if we can get control of the air quality regarding all the leaf burning!
M
Wheatfield
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