By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent PEORIA, Ill — Responding to a petition asking the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to wrest control of permitting and enforcement for CAFOs from the Illinois EPA (see article on page 3), Illinois Pork Producers Assoc. (IPPA) Executive Director Jim Kaitschuk said the IEPA, under the umbrella of the EPA, should maintain control.
“These comprehensive, science-based regulations are enforced by state and federal government agencies, which have the expertise and resources to ensure that pork producers are held accountable for being good stewards of our natural resources,” said Kaitschuk.
Kaitschuk said livestock producers are held to a “zero discharge” standard, which means no wastewater discharge – ever. They must comply with comprehensive state and federal regulations that prohibit and punish wastewater discharge into public waterways.
The laws are designed to protect water and air quality through proper farm siting, manure storage and management and odor control.
“These regulations, including the Livestock Management Facilities Act, protect the rights of citizens to a safe, clean environment while protecting the rights of livestock farmers to earn a living,” said Kaitschuk.
The IPPA maintains that Illinois pork producers support and participate in ongoing environmental research, technology development and management practices that provide practical solutions for protecting the health of communities and preserving natural resources.
Pork producers are very much aware that environmental conservation is in the best interest of their own farm, the pork industry and the community, it adds.
“One of our greatest needs as a society is a safe, quality, affordable food supply,” Kaitschuk said.
“By being allowed to expand, adapt new technologies and increase efficiencies, livestock producers can meet that need better than anyone else in the world, while caring for the environment, being a good neighbor and adding economic development to our economy.”
This farm news was published in the May 21, 2008 issue of the Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
