We got the news yesterday about the pigs coming to the Belstra CAFO -- from Germany!! -- expected to arrive Feb. 20 from what I understand.
So here we sit, still in court appealing the IDEM certificate; and I wish I could tell you about that fiasco, but I promised I wouldn't go public with the info -- for now.
What I will tell you is this -- we heard IDEM was present for the hearing.
Rumor has it that they will be present at all CAFO court hearings (not zoning board hearings).
Maybe that's why the attitude on the Belstra front toned down so much during that hearing. If you would have seen their reps (and themselves) in the BZA hearing, you would have sworn they were an arrogant lot that had absolutely no intention of working anything out with any of the residents in this area where they're moving forward at a furious pace to get this done before all court hearings/decisions are final.
Those poor Sandhill Cranes. I wonder what kind of imported pathogens come with those hogs?
Friday, February 17, 2006
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Great question, and I wish I knew all the answers. APHIS is the organization (working with other reg. agencies) responsible for the safeguarding of agriculture from imported diseases, etc. and each State has their own regulations, in addition to any International regs. You can find Indiana regs here. As for port authorities, there is a fairly recently created division called Agricultural Specialist that from what I understand combines activities of both USDA and APHIS. Swine are known carriers of avian flu strains, many of which are considered harmless and are not inspected for. When/if these pathogens mutate, they then can become a serious risk for all.
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