Source: Charlotte Observer
A new bill proposes regulating North Carolina’s industrial-scale poultry farms more aggressively to reduce risks to neighbors and the environment. The bill, introduced Tuesday by Rep. Pricey Harrison, would also prohibit the construction of industrial animal operations in floodplains and require a sweeping study of the environmental and public health impacts of poultry waste in North Carolina, along with potential solutions for minimizing those effects.
Harrison, a Guilford County Democrat, said her bill was inspired by “Big Poultry,” a recent Charlotte Observer and News & Observer investigation into an industry that has been allowed to grow in North Carolina with little regulation, despite evidence of harm to neighbors and the environment.
Given the desire among many Republicans to scale back state regulations, Harrison said she’s not optimistic the bill will pass this year. But she hopes it will begin to spur discussions and research that ultimately lead to stronger protections, she said. “Clearly, as your series brought out, this is a problem all around — for water quality, for the environment and for neighbors,” Harrison said. Bob Ford, who heads the poultry industry’s main trade group in North Carolina, said he sees no need for additional regulation or study of the industry.
Poultry farms now dot most of North Carolina. The smallest farms raise about 20,000 chickens at a time. The largest: more than 1.5 million. This map, built from two datasets and verified with satellite imagery, may be the most accurate view yet published. It shows 4,679 farms in 79 counties. Poultry farms now dot most of North Carolina. The smallest farms raise about 20,000 chickens at a time. The largest: more than 1.5 million.
This map, built from two datasets and verified with satellite imagery, may be the most accurate view yet published. It shows 4,679 farms in 79 counties. Gavin Off and Susan Merriam Environmental Working Group, Stanford University, OpenStreetMap data and Charlotte Observer analysis. Farmers and poultry companies work hard to protect those who live near barns, he said, noting that they’ve put in place voluntary setbacks designed to ensure farms aren’t built too close to homes. The federation’s guidelines say that poultry farms shouldn’t be built closer than 1,000 feet to an occupied residence.
Farmers and poultry companies work hard to protect those who live near barns, he said, noting that they’ve put in place voluntary setbacks designed to ensure farms aren’t built too close to homes. The federation’s guidelines say that poultry farms shouldn’t be built closer than 1,000 feet to an occupied residence.
