Opponents of a concentrated animal-feeding operation (CAFO) within a mile of Roaring River State Park are seeking relief from Missouri’s Administrative Hearing Committee to stay the operating permit issued by the Department of Natural Resources. They also have appealed the construction permit for the site, which could house up to 65,000 chickens when the farm is up and operating.
Critics worry about the odor and potential for water pollution from such an operation so close to one of Missouri’s most popular and scenic state parks. They have good reason, we believe. Allowing a large poultry farm so close to the park simply is ludicrous and we are disappointed that Missouri lawmakers haven’t stepped forward with legislation controlling the issuing of such permits.
What Missouri needs is a legislator or group of legislators to step forward in championing bills that would set no-CAFO zones around state parks, which, by the way, are owned by all the people of Missouri and are an investment that deserves and requires protection from unwanted incursions. Such legislation would cover hog, cattle and poultry CAFOs.
Furthermore, lawmakers should give counties greater authority over the location of CAFOs, particularly if the operation threatens the property values of its rural neighbors and their quality of life. Concentrated animal-feeding operations may be the face of the future for Missouri agriculture. But there needs to be state and local controls over their size, their growth and, above all, their long-term impact on the environment and those living near them.
