Upsetting the Apple Cart

Political Paybacks to Corporate Factory Farms

Seeing that the end is near, George Bush is hard at work ensuring that all his cronies from the corporate factory farm lobby are appointed to positions, where they can be in charge of the regulatory hen house.   

In this case Bush has appointed Dennis H. Treacy, Smithfield Food's Vice President of Environmental Affairs to the newly formed Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee.

Our friends over at Responsible Shopper had this to say about Smithfield Foods:

"When consumers think Smithfield, they should think pigs, because that's what the company is about. Smithfield pumps pork products onto the market at volumes that weigh heavily on people and the environment. Massive hog farms mean tons of waste and Smithfield has been fined as much as $12.6 million for violating Clean Water Act provisions by improperly dumping waste in waterways. On the human side of operations, meat packers endure poor working conditions and poorer treatment than employees in most other industries. Companies such as Smithfield require workers to perform strenuous tasks in low temperatures, causing bodily harm that often goes undiagnosed or untreated. Like most other corporations, Smithfield has a stated commitment to the environment and its employees, but the company's actions hardly reflect these admirable principles."

From as far as we at the Apple Cart can tell, this is another attempt by our elected officials to roll over the rights of rural people and farmers by promoting corporate farming in our rural communities. 

Only 358 days left until we say good-bye to the corrupt George Bush.

Bush gives gift to factory farms: benefactor Threemile Canyon Farms

Decomposing animal waste at factory farms across the US is the source of toxic emissions, such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia - gases that have the potential to harm human health and the environment.  Because of the Community Right-to-Know law (EPCRA), these operations are required to report their toxic emissions to the EPA.

But, thanks to a Christmas gift from the Bush ( I heart factory farms) administration to the corporate agribiz lobby, citizens may lose their right to know what the neighboring factory farm is off-gassing into their air.  Bush's EPA has a proposed rule change to exempt "farms" from having to report under the law.

Right here in Oregon, Threemile Canyon Farms reported that their 50,000 + cattle release 15,500 lbs of ammonia per day into our environment.  That ammonia poses a health risk to workers, surrounding communties, and air quality in the Columbia River Gorge.

Check it out for yourself:  Download threemile_ammonia_report.pdf

If the corporate agribiz lobby gets their way and the rule change is made, factory farms like Threemile will continue to spout toxic gases, but neighbors and workers will have no way to know what harmful emissions they are being exposed to.

Read the story in the Washington Post here.  Closer to home, read what the Eugene Register Guard has said about exempting factory farms.