Ruling in Arrow Rock case does not affect current CAFOs
Thursday, August 28, 2008By MARCIA GORRELL/Staff writer
Saline County confined animal feeding operators can breath a sigh of relief, according to Missouri Department of Agriculture officials.
"This judgment is only going to apply to named defendants," said Deputy Director of Agriculture Matt Boatright on Thursday afternoon. "We are telling producers to carry on with business as usual."
Boatright was referring to the ruling Monday, Aug. 25, by Cole County Associate Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce on a suit by Friends of Arrow Rock against the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. In the lawsuit's conclusion, Joyce seemed to rule that any CAFO within a 15-mile radius of the historic village and other nearby historic sites could no longer "spread, transport or dispose" of any manure from their operation.
However, Boatright and Director of Agriculture Don Steen told The Marshall Democrat-News in a conference call that lawyers have informed them this ruling only applies to the defendants actually named in the lawsuit: the Department of Natural Resources, DNR Director Doyle Childers and a proposed CAFO by Saline County farmer Dennis Gessling. Read More
In the court ruling, the judge in this case stated that placing the CAFO near Arrow Rock would “decimate and destroy” the village. When the judge decided to use language like this in her ruling, she demonstrated her bias in the case and an obvious dislike of our industry. This is the precedent that animal agriculture will now have to live with unless this case is overturned.
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