Poultry Litter Case Appeal

Oklahoma files appeal in poultry litter case
By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS – 7 hours ago

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma is again hoping to stop 13 Arkansas-based poultry companies from disposing of bird waste in the Illinois River watershed.

The state's 61-page appeal of an earlier judge's ruling was filed late Monday with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.

Oklahoma had tried to get an injunction to halt a practice thousands of farmers have employed for decades in the 1 million-acre watershed, which occupies parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma: Taking the ammonia-reeking chicken waste — clumped bird droppings, bedding and feathers — and spreading it on their land as a low-cost fertilizer.

But in September, U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell ruled that Oklahoma "has not yet met its burden of proving that bacteria in the waters" are "caused by the application of poultry litter rather than by other sources, including cattle manure and human septic systems." Read More

Edmondson is continuing his attacks on agriculture by appealing the judge’s ruling that said he had not met his burden of proof. Poultry farmers in the area need to dispose of the waste that is produced and farmers in the area need this affordable source of nutrients for their cropland. Using poultry litter as fertilizer is the original “green technology” and was designed that way by Mother Nature herself.