Approval of 15,000 hog plan - Iowa

On Tuesday, 16 October 2008, a Granger farmer reached an agreement with state regulators and that is to allow construction of two large confinements south of Dawson with room for nearly 15,000 hogs.

 

Robert Manning Jr.'s proposal has been at the center of a month-long battle that has included angry neighbors, reluctant county officials, and defiant members of the state Environmental Protection Commission, who voted in August to block the project.

 

Tuesday's deal means the structures can be built, but only with a detailed series of features such as tree lines, grass buffers, emergency plans and restrictions on when manure from the confinements can be spread. Manning has said his plan is to produce enough manure to fertilize 7,000 Dallas County acres he farms with his father and brother. Minnesota food-production giant Cargill would own the hogs.

 

Construction could begin this fall, according to DesMoinesRegister.com. Manning's lawyer, Mike Blaser, said many of the provisions in the agreement are either already required by state law or already planned for these developments.

 

Blaser said he is glad for the producer as he spent a lot of time and effort getting to where he was. Before the commission, a citizen panel overturned state regulators who had already approved permits for the confinements.

 

Henry Marquard, chairman of the commission said after the surprise August vote there are battles line drawn and he believe the commission has broader authority than state natural resources officials who are obligated by state law to approve animal confinements that meet certain requirements established by a master matrix adopted in more than 80 counties.

 

The process awards points are based on a confinement's estimated effects on air, water and neighbors. Manning's project easily cumulated the points needed for approval. Commission members argued that the standards are too low. They said, the Raccoon River watershed, one of the most polluted in the state, cannot afford more pollution from manure. The river is a source of drinking water for the Des Moines metro area.

 

After a closed-door meeting Tuesday, 14 October 2008, Marquard said they are pleased to reach an agreement whereby greater protections for the environment are provided and that the producers' commitment to resolve the issue was appreciated.

 

Denise Schuhardt who lives near the confinements said she believes the agreement will not do enough to protect the environment or her two sons who suffer from asthma and she's afraid her property values will plummet as the rights of the hog industry overthrow the rights of the citizens.

 

Large-scale livestock confinements have separated Iowa agriculture interests and environmentalists for the better part of three decades. The state Supreme Court in 2004 threw out a county ordinance that aimed at regulating hog lots as health hazards. Neighbors' complaints about odors and pollution, however, continue to intensify.

 

Iowa raises about 25 percent of the nation's pork, and the industry is responsible for about 63,000 jobs in the state. Meanwhile, Iowa's hog producers have made money the past three years, which has increased the number of permit applications. Industry leaders have historically pushed for a statewide approval system for confinements rather than face 99 sets of county rules.