6.8 million farm animals have died in barn fires in the last 10 years. Animal welfare advocates have called for stronger fire safety rules, but Big Meat fears financial losses.
Two northwest Wisconsin residents are threatening to sue their town unless elected officials repeal rules governing the operation of large livestock farms.
The Wisconsin Farmers Union says giving CAFOs more latitude jeopardizes water quality and public health. Experts agree it’s an issue of concern for rural communities across the country.
In recent years CAFO operators have successfully lobbied state legislatures to minimize nuisance/trespass lawsuits from being filed, Dave Dickey writes in his latest column.
A proposed pig concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) spurred five northwest Wisconsin towns to regulate big farms — triggering heated debate. A lawsuit against one of those towns was dropped after it rescinded its ordinance.
The pork industry shifted dramatically over the past three decades. A USDA report tracks how the industry moved away from small operations to CAFOs, production contracts nd specialization.
