Reforming Industrial Animal Agriculture

EPA Delays Action on Regulations for Animal Agriculture

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Pollution from animal agriculture is threatening our nation’s waterways. Each year, livestock operations in the United States generate up to a billion tons of manure, much of it from concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs.

Pew Responds to Op-Ed in the the Rapid City Journal

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:30:00 GMT

Josh Reichert responds to an op-ed published April 8, 2013 in the Rapid City Journal which was critical of Pew's animal agriculture work.

Pew Urges Maryland Lawmakers to Reject Chesapeake Bay Pollution Exemption Bill

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:50:00 GMT

The Maryland House of Delegates’ Environmental Matters Committee today will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 1029, establishing the Maryland Agricultural Certainty Program. In anticipation of the hearing, Pew has released the following statement.

Pew Testimony in Opposition to SB 1029

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Velma Smith of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ campaign to reform animal agriculture testified before the Maryland State Senate on the Maryland Agriculture Certainty Program.

Lack of Information on Livestock Facilities Spells Trouble in Illinois and Beyond

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:05:00 GMT

The Chesapeake Bay is not the only area affected by pollution from CAFOs. In Illinois, for example, water quality problems have caused real concern about that state’s regulation of the rapidly growing hog industry.

Fair Share for Clean Water

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 18:00:00 GMT

An editorial by The Frederick News-Post ("Cost of the bay," Sept. 7) raised a good point regarding the need for all neighboring states to share the responsibility of controlling pollutants entering the Chesapeake Bay.

Remarks from Karen Steuer on CAFO Pollution and the Public Outcry for Stronger Regulation

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:05:00 GMT

Karen Steuer, who directs the Pew Environment Group’s campaign to reform animal agriculture, made the following remarks today on the strong public support, and the critical need, for a new rule to limit pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations.

The Chesapeake's Manure Problem

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:05:00 GMT

2012-09-04 What do 2,700 plant species, 525 species of fin and shell-fish, and more than 17 million people have in common? They are all residents of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The bay provides economic benefits of more than $33 billion a year from recreational and commercial activities, including the ha

Infographic: Cleaning Up CAFO Permit Rules

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:05:00 GMT

Some of our Nation’s most prized waterways—such as the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and Mississippi River—as well as streams, estuaries and wells, are at risk from pollution from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).

Cleaning Up Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Permit Rules

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:20:00 GMT

Additional Resources Pollution Coming to a Waterway Near You? Action Alert Animal Agriculture Must Do Its Share to Protect Our Waterways Cleaning Up the Chesapeake Bay Some of our nation’s most prized waterways—such as the Great Lakes, Chesapeake

Pollution: Coming to a Waterway Near You?

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:40:00 GMT

The health of many waterways, from the Chesapeake Bay to the Great Lakes—and the livelihoods, flora, and fauna they support— are in jeopardy.

Maryland Department of Agriculture Adopts Regulations to Help Protect the Chesapeake Bay from Manure Pollution

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:45:00 GMT

In comments sent to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the Pew Environment Group urges the agency to swiftly finalize new regulations to improve controls on pollution from manure entering the Chesapeake Bay and offers suggestions to further enhance protection of the Bay.

Animal Waste, Waterways, and Drinking Water

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:00:00 GMT

From the backyard grill to the picnic basket, Americans seem to have a love affair with meat and poultry. To supply that demand, livestock production has turned to concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) as the new business model, growing high volumes of cows, pigs, and birds within short time spans and in the smallest spaces possible.

Obama Administration Reneges on Modest Steps to Protect Our Nation's Waters from CAFO Pollution

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:35:00 GMT

In a dramatic departure from the Obama administration’s promise to pursue better protections of our waters from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has withdrawn a proposed rule that would have required the most basic reporting from these operations—information that would have given the EPA the information necessary to monitor and address CAFO pollution.

How Corporate Control Squeezes Out Small Farms

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:35:00 GMT

Competition is a critical element of our free market economy and is particularly important in agriculture. Consumers understand almost instinctively that market domination by a single powerful business can lead to higher prices. Less obvious is the role that lack of competition has played in squeezing out small and midsize farms and ranches and in changing the nature of animal agriculture across the country.

Pew Urges House of Representatives to Oppose Efforts to Undermine States' Rights and to Derail Rules to Protect Farmers

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:30:00 GMT

In a letter to the House of Representatives, the Pew Environment Group urges lawmakers to reject new bills now moving through the House. The bills would repeal finalized regulations intended to help level the playing field for farmers who raise livestock under contract with large meat-processing companies.

Pew Environment Group Urges Senate to Reject Cloaked Attack on Contract Poultry Growers

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) has quietly attached a rider to the House agriculture appropriations bill that would effectively close off every avenue to a fair marketplace for contract chicken growers.

Help Protect America's Waterways

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:15:00 GMT

The EPA is due to propose a rule this summer with the goal of ensuring that concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are doing their part to protect the nation’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. However, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, and countless other rivers and streams are also polluted by CAFOs. Please ask President Obama to take action on this important rule.

Pew Environment Group Urges Senators to Support America's Independent Livestock Farmers and Ranchers

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:40:00 GMT

A handful of multimillion-dollar meatpacking companies dominate the animal agriculture industry. Their consolidated power enables them to control the market, at the expense of farmers and ranchers. By limiting independent producers’ access to processing plants and primarily buying and trading livestock among themselves, giant meatpackers are able to artificially lower the prices that farmers and ranchers receive for their livestock.

Bigger Isn't Better

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:55:00 GMT

(Huffington Post) Over time, farming has become more centralized, and scaled-up operations are so large that they could scarcely be termed "farms" any longer. These concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) condensed the raising of animals to particular regions, many with insufficient nearby cropland to effectively use the manure all those chickens, hogs, and other animals create.

Burger King Corp. Makes Industry-Leading Commitment to Enhance Animal Welfare Standards in its U.S. Supply Chain

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:35:00 GMT

(Market Watch) Burger King Corp. (BKC) today announced two industry-leading commitments that will enhance the animal welfare standards in its U.S. supply chain, which serves more than 7,200 BURGER KING(R) restaurants nationwide.

Where Have All the Farms Gone?

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:35:00 GMT

During the past 50 years, animal agriculture has gone through a seismic shift in the United States. Long gone are the iconic scenes of American landscapes dotted with family farms and red barns. Most of these have been replaced by industrialized facilities controlled by large corporations that rely on concentrated animal feeding operations.

Industrial Agriculture Needs Rules for Waste

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 22:55:00 GMT

The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and the perfect example of a national problem. With nearly 12,000 miles of shoreline spanning six states and the District of Columbia, the estuary has suffered from nutrient pollution for decades, a significant part of it emitted by concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the watershed. An urgently needed rule is expected from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in June to help control CAFO pollution in the bay and, once established, should serve as the model for a national policy to safeguard watersheds across the country.

More [Good] News about [Bad] Gestation Crates

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:05:00 GMT

(New York Times) Another significant victory in the fight to ban sow gestation crates: Compass Group USA—whose U.K. parent company is the largest food service company in the world—announced that it plans to eliminate the crates from its U.S. pork supply chain by 2017.

The Agrarian Myth and Industrial Reality of Animal Agriculture

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:50:00 GMT

(Philadelphia Inquirer) When most of us think of farms and farming, we conjure a fairly idyllic scene: fresh air; lush pastures; quaint, rustic buildings; and happy, carefree animals. But it is far from the reality, and it is not good for the public's health.

Help Protect U.S. Waterways

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:48:51 GMT

Your help is needed to restore critical safeguards to the many rivers, bays, streams, and lakes throughout the country that face ongoing threats of pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations and other industries.

New Rules Must Require All Farmers Do Their Fair Share to Clean Up The Bay

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 21:15:00 GMT

(Baltimore Sun) I am a farmer in Frederick County who took the time from my operation to go to Annapolis Tuesday to testify in support of legislation to require better management of farm animal manure and sewage. I raise sheep, goats, hogs and poultry whose manure would be subject to the new rules.

EPA Sends Wetland Guidance to White House for Final Review

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:50:00 GMT

(E&E) The Obama administration yesterday sent its proposal to increase the number of waters, streams and wetlands receiving federal pollution protection to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final review.

Bon Appetit Announces Animal Welfare Reforms

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:50:00 GMT

(Washington Post) Hoping to set a standard for others in the industry to follow, food-service giant Bon Appetit Management Co. announced today that it will purchase pork, liquid eggs and veal only from producers who follow more humane animal agricultural practices.

McDonald's Vows to Help End Use of Sow Crates

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:05:00 GMT

(The New York Times) The McDonald’s Corporation said on Monday that it would begin working with its pork suppliers to phase out the use of so-called gestational crates, the tiny stalls in which sows are housed while pregnant.

North Carolina Corporate Hog Farm and President Sentenced to Pay $1.5 Million for Violating the Clean Water Act

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:30:00 GMT

(Department of Justice) Freedman Farms Inc. was sentenced today in federal court to five years probation and ordered to pay $1.5 million in fines, restitution and community service payments for violating the Clean Water Act when they discharged hog waste into a stream that leads to the Waccamaw River, announced the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

EPA Readies CAFO Permit Manual

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:40:00 GMT

(Inside EPA) EPA is preparing to issue a manual “in the very near future” highlighting what the agency considers to be the best available technical knowledge on nutrient management in order to help regulators write water permits for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO), a top EPA official says.

Court Victory Holds CAFO Accountable for Water Pollution

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:55:00 GMT

(Ecocentric) In a precedent-setting decision earlier this month that received scant national coverage, a Washington State judge ordered a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation), also known as a factory farm, to monitor groundwater, drainage and soil for illegal pollution resulting from its grossly inadequate manure management practices in violation of the Clean Water Act.

Pew Comments on the Environmental Protection Agency's CAFO Inventory Rule

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:10:00 GMT

The Environmental Protection Agency recently requested public comments on a proposed rule regarding the information the agency will collect from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). This important rule may establish expanded reporting requirements for CAFO owners and operators, which will enhance transparency and accountability, and result in improved environmental management.

Environmental Leaders Call on President Obama to Restore Critical Clean Water Act Protections

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:25:00 GMT

As leaders of the nation’s largest environmental organizations, we write you on behalf of our millions of members and supporters to urge you to act quickly to restore critical Clean Water Act protections to America’s waterways.

Ohio Farms Flush with Manure

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:05:00 GMT

(The Columbus Dispatch) Under the best conditions, raising livestock is a dirty, smelly business. And right now in Ohio, the conditions are far from good.

Chicken Manure Adds to Chesapeake Bay Pollution, Group Says

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT

(WTOP) An environmental group is warning that too much manure is a threat to the Chesapeake Bay, and it wants more standards at the state level.

New Rule Falls Short for Independent Farmers

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:55:00 GMT

On Dec. 8, 2011, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the publication of the long-awaited Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule. The final version is a significant departure from the comprehensive draft initially proposed in June 2010, which addressed a range of agricultural marketing and contracting practices that favor large meat processors and producers to the detriment of small and midsize family farm operators.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation: USDA Fertilizer, Manure Standards to Help Waterways, Farm Profits

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:50:00 GMT

(Associated Press) The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says new federal agriculture recommendations for fertilizer and manure application will lead to better water quality in rivers and streams while also helping farmers increase profits.

Cleaning the Chesapeake

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:50:00 GMT

(Chemical & Engineering News) After more than 25 years of federal, state, and local efforts to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, most of the Bay and its tributaries remain impaired. Excessive amounts of nutrients—nitrogen and phosphorus—continue to enter the Bay each year, leading to algal blooms and oxygen-depleted waters, or “dead zones,” that are uninhabitable for most species.

One Woman Takes a Brave Stand Against Factory Farming

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:05:00 GMT

(O Magazine) This is Lynn's home, and she had always taken an almost personal pride in its beauty. But that changed 14 years ago when large factory farms—otherwise known as concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs—capable of holding thousands of animals in very small spaces started to move into this rural area of small family farms in south central Michigan. Shortly afterward, Lynn began finding cow and hog manure in the waterways.

Family Farmers Lose Out in Agriculture Bill

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:30:00 GMT

Karen Steuer, director of government relations at the Pew Environment Group, issued the following statement in response to today’s Congressional vote to approve an appropriations measure that derails long-needed reform to help independent family farmers across the United States.

Talking Turkeys

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:00:00 GMT

This year, 88 percent of Americans will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner. The custom dates back nearly 400 years, but today’s turkeys are vastly different from those eaten at the first feast and come from industrial operations that are a far cry from those of just 50 years ago.

Transparency Needed for Industrial Animal Agriculture

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:30:00 GMT

Under a settlement agreement resulting from a lawsuit, the EPA has committed to proposing a regulation that would collect basic information about CAFOs nationwide. Learn more about the proposed CAFO reporting rule.

'Farmer and Rancher Bill of Rights' Won't Kill Jobs

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:05:00 GMT

In less than 60 years, the United States has lost more than 1.6 million broiler chicken farms, while the number of the birds raised yearly has skyrocketed by 1,400 percent.

Campaign Ad: Stand Up to the Meat Industry Giants

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:55:00 GMT

View the latest ad from the Pew Campaign for Reforming Industrial Animal Agriculture.

Improving the Picture for Independent Farmers

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:05:00 GMT

Read stories from farmers and ranchers across the U.S. who are fighting to reform the current industrial animal agriculture system.

Farmers Need New GIPSA Rules

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:25:00 GMT

(Rapid City Journal) In a scene from the ugliest side of politics, President Obama on his recent visit to Iowa was greeted with a full page advertisement declaring the proposed Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Act (GIPSA) rules as a job killer.

Agencies Criticize Farms in Valley: Study Finds Area is Prime Source for Bay Pollution

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:18:54 GMT

(News Leader) Two reports, one from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and one from the nonprofit Pew Environmental Group, blast Valley farmers as a prime source for pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.

Murky Waters: A Bird's-Eye View of Chesapeake Bay Runoff

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:45:00 GMT

Record rainfall on the East Coast over the past month has washed pollutants from farm fields, industrial animal operations, suburban lawns and urban construction sites throughout the watershed into the Chesapeake. A satellite image from this week captures the polluted brown waters in the bay and is a striking reminder that every day, through small showers and large storms, what happens on the land does not stay on the land.

Clash Brews Over Poultry Pollution

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:35:00 GMT

(Wilmington News Journal) Another battle is coming in the long war over regulation of Delaware's big chicken farms over farmers' right to decide how to dispose of thousands of tons of chicken manure every year.

The Rise of Industrial-Scale Chicken Production

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:15:00 GMT

The broiler industry has changed drastically over the last 50 years and now produces more than 8 billion birds—an increase of more than 1400%.

How Chicken Litter Becomes a Water Pollutant

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:10:00 GMT

The manure produced by the hundreds of thousands of chickens within a single concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) carries serious negative consequences for water quality in and around these CAFO-dense regions.

The Poultry Industry's Threat to the Chesapeake

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:30:00 GMT

There are hotspots along the Broiler Belt with even greater concentrations of poultry operations. Nowhere has the problem of managing broiler manure waste and its associated pollution become more evident than in parts of Maryland and Delaware, known as the Delmarva Peninsula.

Poultry Waste Having Negative Impact On Local Waterways

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:15:00 GMT

(WAMU) As poultry consumption continues to rise, some worry about the effects of all that chicken waste on the local environment.

Your Chicken Nuggets Are Killing Your Crab Cakes

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:00:00 GMT

(Mother Jones) Every year in the Chesapeake Bay, an algae bloom spreads out, sucking oxygen out of the water and destroying fish habitat.

Report Tallies 'Big Chicken' Toll on Bay

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:00:00 GMT

(Baltimore Sun) A new report says the industrialization of poultry farming over the last several decades is a major source of pollution fouling the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways around the country.

Industry Groups Criticize Pew Report Calling for Poultry Waste Disposal Alternatives

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:30:00 GMT

(Washington Post) Industry groups are criticizing a new report on the environmental impact of waste from poultry operations.

Big Chicken: Pollution and Industrial Poultry Production in America

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:25:00 GMT

Broiler chickens are big business. Produced by the millions, their waste pollutes many of our nation’s waterways. A new Pew Environment Group report analyzes 50 years of data to illustrate the environmental effects of a business transformed by industrialization.

Pew Report Describes Water Pollution Caused by U.S. Poultry Production

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:15:00 GMT

Broiler chickens are produced by the millions in industrial facilities concentrated in just a handful of states, and much of the waste they produce ends up polluting the nation’s waterways. These are just two issues highlighted in a new report released today by the Pew Environment Group.

Clean Water at Risk: Take Action to Oppose H.R. 2018

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:35:00 GMT

The Clean Water Act, one of our nation’s most important environmental protection laws, is under threat from H.R. 2018, the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011. Find out more and take action.

Pollution and Industrial Poultry Production in America

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:15:00 GMT

Broiler chickens (raised for their meat) are produced by the millions in industrial facilities concentrated in just a handful of states, and much of the waste they produce ends up polluting the nation’s waterways.

Industrial Animal Agriculture: A Broken System

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:25:00 GMT

Over the past 50 years, the raising of animals for food in the United States has shifted from traditional, diversified family farms to an industrialized system reliant on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). This change has primarily been led by large companies, known as integrators, that control every aspect of production while ensuring that regulations remain minimal and farmers bear the brunt of the responsibility for waste management.

Farmers Need Your Help

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:30:00 GMT

Over the past 50 years, animal agriculture has changed significantly. Today, farmers have a difficult time competing in a marketplace controlled by large corporations, and are often unable to make independent decisions about raising animals in sustainable, humane ways.

Proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) Rules

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:00:00 GMT

The Pew Environment Group supports the efforts of the USDA to enforce the anti-trust provisions of the Packers and Stockyards Administration and to foster a more equitable relationship between producers and the meat companies through clear contract guidelines, more transparency in the contract relationship, as well as clearly defining abuses.

Republicans Dodge Small Farm Subsidy Cuts in Bill Slashing Food Aid for Poor

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:40:00 GMT

(Washington Post) Republicans have quietly maneuvered to prevent a House spending bill from chipping away at federal farm subsidies, instead forging ahead with much larger cuts to domestic and international food aid.

This Little Piggy Went to Market...

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:55:00 GMT

(Huffington Post) In a seminal piece of writing, and a turning point in American journalism, Upton Sinclair exposed the atrocities of the meat-packing industry, which constituted a threat to public health, an extreme danger to the workers in the industry, and deplorably cruel treatment of animals.

Farm Subsidies Test GOP Frosh

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:35:00 GMT

(Politico) Commodity prices are near all-time highs, an anti-spending mission dominates among the House majority and the House Agriculture Committee is packed with 15 GOP freshmen, some of whom were swept into office backed by a tea party movement that seemed poised to slash everything — including crop subsidies.

RMFU Denounces Attempt to Kill GIPSA Rule

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 16:00:00 GMT

(High Plains/Midwest AG Journal) Rocky Mountain Farmers Union President Kent Peppler, a fourth-generation farmer in Mead, Colo., on May 25 denounced the House for cutting USDA funds to enforce new livestock marketing regulations.

Groups Clash on USDA Funding

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT

(Capital Press) Three national livestock and poultry groups are applauding the U.S. House Appropriations Committee's move to zero out funding for a controversial meat marketing plan.

Battery Cages Coming to the End of Their Lifespan: Duncan

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:45:00 GMT

(Farm Focus) The professor emeritus and animal welfare chair at the University of Guelph, who has studied battery cages since the late 1960s, noted there is growing evidence of their adverse impact on hen welfare.

FDA Says Chicken Can Contain Small Amounts of Arsenic

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:55:00 GMT

(CBS) Will poultry lovers pluck chickens from their plates over a new warning from the FDA? The agency said Wednesday that the meat of chickens fed a growth-promoting ingredient called Roxarsone can contain arsenic.

Animal Agriculture Needs to Stop Chickening Out of Bay Cleanup

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:10:00 GMT

(The Chesapeake Bay Journal) For those of us with long memories and ample age, today's debate on the Chesapeake Bay cleanup is familiar and deeply troubling.

Editorial: A Sour Oyster Stew

Thu, 19 May 2011 19:30:00 GMT

(Baltimore Sun) Maryland is heavily invested in restoring the Chesapeake Bay's oyster population, as well it should be. The tasty bivalves are not only prized by epicures and the watermen who harvest them but also by all those who care about the bay's health because, as filter feeders, oysters remove excess nutrients from the water.

Editorial: Factory Farm Protection Act Degrades Missouri's Constitution

Thu, 12 May 2011 19:40:00 GMT

(St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Missouri lawmakers passed House Bill 209 by wide margins earlier this month. It limits the rights of people who own land near large factory farms to recover damages from foul odors and other problems created by huge animal-feeding operations.

Industrial Animal Agriculture is Not a Pretty Picture

Tue, 03 May 2011 18:15:00 GMT

A heated debate is under way in Minnesota over legislation that would criminalize the production or possession of videos of animal agricultural facilities. This bill follows on the heels of similar efforts in Florida and Iowa that aim to provide enhanced shielding from scrutiny for only one industry: large-scale animal agriculture.

Conservation Programs, Other Farm Subsidies Targeted in Federal Budget Battles

Mon, 02 May 2011 22:30:00 GMT

(Washington Post) Over the past five years, Nebraska farmer Kevin Raun has submitted numerous conservation plans to the USDA for funds to convert his family cattle and corn farm into an eco-friendly place.

The Biggest Myth About 'Natural' Meat Busted

Mon, 02 May 2011 22:15:00 GMT

(Huffington Post) When it comes to making cleaner, greener food choices, most concerned consumers take care to choose the most “natural” meats. But that’s often easier said than done.

Why Being a Foodie isn't 'Elitist'

Mon, 02 May 2011 21:55:00 GMT

(Washington Post) At the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting this year, Bob Stallman, the group’s president, lashed out at “self-appointed food elitists” who are “hell-bent on misleading consumers.”

Who Protects the Animals?

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:55:00 GMT

(New York Times) Getting caught is a drag.

Editorial: Hiding the Truth About Factory Farms

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:25:00 GMT

(New York Times) A supermarket shopper buying hamburger, eggs or milk has every reason, and every right, to wonder how they were produced.

Editorial: Concealing Cruelty

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Ever been curious about how the egg industry operates? You're welcome to take a virtual tour of an Iowa egg plant run by Rose Acre Farms.

Editorial: CAFO Legislation Not a Remedy for Debate Among Rural Neighbors

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:10:00 GMT

Missouri Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, and Rep. Tom Shively, D-Clarence, both want what's best for farmers, yet they find each other on opposite sides of the debate about protections for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Editorial: EPA and the Bay

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:00:00 GMT

One of the cuts that resulted from the tense negotiations to avert a government shutdown was welcomed by advocates of the Chesapeake Bay restoration plan.

Editorial: Keep an Eye on Ag Abuses

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:35:00 GMT

A bill was introduced into the state Legislature recently that would ban the distribution of all videos and other information documenting animal mistreatment and agricultural pollution.

States Look to Ban Efforts to Reveal Farm Abuse

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:06:53 GMT

Undercover videos showing grainy, sometimes shocking images of sick or injured livestock have become a favorite tool of animal rights organizations to expose what they consider illegal or inhumane treatment of animals ... In Iowa, where agriculture is a dominant force both economically and politically, such undercover investigations could soon be illegal.

Let's Ask Marion Nestle: Does Factory Farming Have a Future?

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:50:00 GMT

We talk a lot about the factory farms that provide most of our meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products, but most Americans have no idea what really goes on inside a CAFO, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation.

New Legislation Limits Public Access to Agricultural Records

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:45:00 GMT

Three years ago, Alma Hasse walked purposely, head down, toward a red brick building. The Jerome County Courthouse held a mountain of files on the county's dairy CAFOs, or concentrated animal feeding operations, and Hasse wanted a look at them. She and her agricultural watchdog group, Idaho Concerned Area Residents for the Environment believed that Idaho's factory farms weren't being adequately monitored or regulated. That's why she and a small group of her members burst into the county offices on that dreary December afternoon, requesting to see the CAFO records. But it soon became clear the group wouldn't get what it wanted.

Polluting Poultry in the Chesapeake

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:05:00 GMT

Today, as Chesapeake Bay leaders struggle to clean up pollution, a long-overlooked source of damage has become apparent: Large-scale industrial animal agriculture operations in the Bay region are producing huge volumes or manure and manure-related pollutants.

Polluting Poultry in the Chesapeake

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:25:00 GMT

As efforts continue to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, a long-overlooked source of pollution has become apparent: large-scale industrial animal agriculture operations in the Bay region.

Editorial: Legislature Hatching a Hollow Egg

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:50:00 GMT

Those chickens. Oregon lawmakers are in full retreat from a modest anti-cruelty bill that would have followed other states in requiring more room for laying hens crammed in so-called battery cages -- at least enough to allow them to raise their wings.

Watershed's Farms Have Reduced Polluted Runoff, But Not Enough

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:30:00 GMT

While farmers have reduced nutrient and sediment losses from croplands in the Bay watershed, about 80 percent of those lands continue to have a "high" or "moderate" need for further actions to protect water quality, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Editorial: The Bay 'Diet' Draws Fire

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:45:00 GMT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's effort to put Chesapeake Bay states on a "pollution diet" represents the most hopeful effort toward cleaning up the estuary in a generation. So why are House Republicans so invested in sabotaging it?

The High Cost of Cheap Meat

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:15:00 GMT

When interviewed, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore responded to a question about whether every American was entitled to healthcare. His reply was, "We have to decide what kind of people we are."

Opinion: Farmers Unfairly Squeezed

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:10:00 GMT

Nobody questions the expense and inconvenience of environmental regulations, especially when it comes to cleaning the Chesapeake Bay.

Letter: Farm Bureau Stand is a Shortsighted One

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:05:00 GMT

The Farm Bureau national lobby group’s recent decision to file a lawsuit in federal court to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from limiting the amount of toxic pollutants that flow into the Chesapeake Bay is both shortsighted and ill advised.

Letter: Perdue's Outsourcing Hurts Workers, Damages Economy

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:00:00 GMT

Perdue Farms Inc. is outsourcing the jobs of about 100 chicken catchers, who do the strenuous, dirty job of gathering chickens and stuffing them into crates for transport to poultry plants.

Editorial: Failing the Bay, Balking at Cleanup

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:25:00 GMT

What the EPA plans certainly isn't new or radical or even unexpected: The agency is finally insisting that the states surrounding the Chesapeake produce plans to reduce the chemical runoff that has been killing the estuary for more than a century.

VA's Family Farms Left Holding the...Manure?

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Many of the small family farms in Virginia have been replaced by fewer, larger industrialized animal operations - and yet, the rules for dealing with the manure from farms have remained the same.

The Serfs of Arkansas

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:10:00 GMT

Shane Tawr doesn't remember exactly why he first decided to try his hand at chicken farming.

Resistance to Factory Pig Farming Gathers Steam

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:50:00 GMT

This week the film Pig Business will have its U.S. premiere on Capitol Hill. The movie tells the tale of pork production's industrialization as it demonstrates the increasing influence corporations exert over all aspects of peoples' lives, including over governments that are supposed to protect their citizens.

An Amendment to Kill the Bay

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:50:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte's dedication to the environment isn't in question. That's because the Roanoke congressman doesn't often pretend that clean air or water is a priority.

The Bay vs. Goodlatte

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:50:00 GMT

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R- Roanoke, seems the sort of fellow who would prefer Pottersville to Bedford Falls. In the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life," Pottersville was what Bedford Falls would have become had George Bailey not provided townspeople an opportunity to invest in their town and make it a pleasant place to live.

Budget Cuts Tap out Safe Drinking Water

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:10:00 GMT

In all of the debate on Capitol Hill about cutting budgets, you wouldn't expect water to get a great deal of attention. But it should.

Republicans Oppose Meatpacking Industry Reforms

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:25:00 GMT

The Obama administration's effort to overhaul antitrust rules for the meatpacking industry with the toughest regulations since the Packers and Stockyards Act was passed 90 years ago has run into strong opposition from Republicans.

Letter: Another View On Poultry Farming

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:00:00 GMT

I am writing to express my concern with the associations made in this paper between sustainable family farms and the massive, industrial-scale factory farming currently being proposed in both Northampton and Accomack counties, as well as the wide ranging effects that accompany these corporate chicken factories.

For the Bay: Chesapeake Nutrient Imbalance Must Be Addressed

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:50:00 GMT

The problem plaguing the Chesapeake Bay is widely known and obvious, according to a crops and soils expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. But after decades of trying to save the famous estuary by spending billions of dollars on pollution-control measures, we have made a lot of progress but we still have a long way to go to solve the problem.

Editorial: America's Good Food Fight

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:35:00 GMT

Our holiday table got quite tense. We are a mixed family — Jewish, Christian, Republican, Democrat –— but the tension wasn't from differences over religion or politics.

Editorial: Bay Pollution Plan, Like All 'Diets,' Requires Willpower

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:05:00 GMT

As expected, the trumpets sounded loudly at the close of 2010 as the federal government finally issued its long-awaited "pollution diet" for the Chesapeake Bay.

Editorial: Progress in the Chesapeake Bay

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:50:00 GMT

Normally, we would not be encouraged by a grade of D-plus for anything. But when it comes to restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, we are indeed encouraged. After years of slipped deadlines and broken promises, cleanup of the 64,000-square-mile watershed is showing faint signs of progress.

Cleaning Up the Chesapeake Bay

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:15:00 GMT

Farming and farmland has long been an important part of the Chesapeake Bay region, and the preservation of those traditions can contribute significantly to the improved health of the Bay.

Animal Agriculture and Water Pollution

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:10:00 GMT

No central repository of livestock-related pollution problems exists, but federal agency studies, state water quality assessments and reports of pollution incidents all point to significant and growing threats to water resources from confinement agriculture.

Animal Agriculture and the Clean Water Act

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:15:00 GMT

The Clean Water Act is the principal law for controlling pollution of rivers, lakes and wetlands in the United States.

Comments from the Pew Environment Group Urging the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration to Restore Competition and Contract Fairness to Livestock and Poultry Markets

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:55:00 GMT

Newly proposed rules by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration are the first steps on a path to restoring a much needed level of fairness to the structure of animal agriculture in the US.

Pew Environment Group’s Comments to the Environmental Protection Agency Regarding Pollution from Industrial Animal Agriculture in the Chesapeake Bay

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:55:00 GMT

Large scale animal agriculture has long been and remains a major source of polluting nutrients to the Chesapeake Bay.

Megafarms Force Close Look at Industry's Future

Sun, 03 Oct 2010 16:30:00 GMT

Dairy farming in northwestern Illinois is often a family business that has been passed down for generations.

Editorial: Getting Tough for the Bay

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 16:40:00 GMT

After decades of broken promises regarding the Chesapeake Bay, the Environmental Protection Agency is threatening states in the bay's watershed: Meet pollution standards -- or else. The threat is justified and overdue.

Editorial: Another Plan to Clean the Bay

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:40:00 GMT

Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay isn't complicated. For decades now, officials have known precisely what has crippled the estuary and how to fix it. What they have not known - and don't know still - is how to persuade people to do what needs to be done.

Illinois Takes a Hit Over Factory Farms

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:05:00 GMT

Illinois is failing to crack down on water pollution from large confined-animal farms, the Obama administration announced Wednesday in a stinging rebuke that gave the state a month to figure out how to fix its troubled permitting and enforcement programs.

The Costs of Cheap Meat

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:10:00 GMT

If you adjust for inflation and income, Americans have never spent less on food than they have in recent years. And yet many feel we've also never paid such a high price.

Editorial: We Are What We Eat

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:15:00 GMT

Most of the antibiotics sold in the United States — 70 percent — go to the animals we eat, especially pigs and chickens. To speed up growth and to prevent the spread of disease in crowded conditions, growers put small amounts of antibiotics into animals’ daily feed.

Editorial: Chesapeake Bay Cleanup: Let's Get Moving

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 17:15:00 GMT

No one disputes the Chesapeake Bay — and the waters that flow into it such as the Susquehanna River — are not as clean as they should be.

Keeping Secrets on the Farm

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:25:00 GMT

Imagine that you live near an industry that you suspect pollutes a river, a bunch of sewage treatment plants perhaps. You ask state government for records of how the plants have been regulated and what standards they must meet.

Editorial: Limit Animal Antibiotics

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:30:00 GMT

If anyone should understand how plants and animals evolve through the intervention of human agency, it's the farmers and the scientists of the agribusiness world. Over the centuries, they have selected and combined and weeded and cross-pollinated to create everything from cows that give a lot of milk to corn that stands up tall and straight.

Statement: Robert Martin on Competition in the Livestock Industry

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:10:00 GMT

Independent producers, operating in a fair and open marketplace, can raise livestock in ways that safeguard public health, protect vulnerable water sources and other natural resources, maintain traditions of responsible animal husbandry, deliver healthy food at an affordable price to American families and provide a strong economic base for thriving rural communities.

Editorial: Don't Back Down: Protect Our Water

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:35:00 GMT

This state long took it for granted that farm-field runoff would pollute our waterways. Then the 2009 Legislature passed a bill that prohibits spreading manure on snow-covered or frozen ground. It has flaws, but acknowledges the need for better stewardship.

Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:35:00 GMT

The current industrial farm animal production system often poses unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and the welfare of the animals themselves, according to an extensive two and a half year examination conducted by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production.

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