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Monday, April 04, 2005

Environment - EPA to study air near large farms

"EPA to study air near large farms" is the headline to a story today by John Lucas in the Evansville Courier&Press. The lead:

People engaged in the large-scale production of poultry for companies such as Tyson Foods or Perdue Farms - as well as those who raise hogs or dairy cattle in similar confined animal feeding operations - have until July 1 to decide whether to participate in an air quality compliance agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The federal agency is proposing a two-year study of emissions from confined animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, to measure the amount of pollutants and hazardous substances they release into the air and to establish operating standards for the industry.
Some additional quotes:
For growers signing onto the consent, agreement comes at a cost. Most area broiler growers can expect to spend $2,700 to $3,000 to participate. That's a $200 or $500 fee regarded as a civil penalty plus $2,500 to help defray the cost of the monitoring. For larger growers with multiple farms, the fees are multiplied but won't exceed $100,000. They also have to agree to allow the EPA access to their barns to monitor emissions.

That, though, is unlikely since the agency has indicated plans to have only 28 monitoring sites nationwide for all three animal groups - poultry, swine and dairy cattle. Although both Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms say they have made growers aware of the EPA air quality compliance agreement, the companies appear to be offering little guidance to contract growers about participation.

"We have advised our independent contract producers that the document is available and did send them a synopsis of the consent agreement," said Joe Forsthoffer, a spokesman for Perdue Farms. "Since the consent agreement is an enforceable order and, therefore, a legal document, it is inappropriate for us to give legal advice to independent contractors."

Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson, too, said his company had made growers aware of the agreement. Neither spokesman indicated whether the companies would enroll company-owned and operated houses in the monitoring program. The poultry companies also have not indicated they would share the cost of participation with the growers.

Trade associations for hog and egg producers have set aside some money to help pay the fees for those producers who participate in the agreement.

Estimates for the threshold size of other confined animal operations that would likely produce sufficient ammonia for reporting are 225 sows in a farrow-to-finish hog barn up to 1,000 sows in a farrow-to-feeder barn. Numbers vary depending on how manure is stored and treated. About 300 lactating cows under roof appears to be the threshold for dairy cattle.

More information is available in this ILB entry from 1/22/05, titled "EPA plan offers farms immunity from air pollution violations." Also, this one from 1/30/05.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 4, 2005 12:57 PM
Posted to Environment