U.S. Senator Booker (D-NJ) introduces a national factory farm moratorium
CCI members point to the growing in-state and national momentum ahead of the 2020 legislative session
For Immediate release: 12/17/19
Des Moines, IA – Yesterday Senator Booker (D-NJ) introduced a national factory farm moratorium. The Farm System Reform Act of 2019 would put a halt on all new or expanding factory farms amongst other policies to create a level playing field for independent family farmers.
Membersof Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) say that this is the solutionneeded in Iowa to restore vibrant rural communities and clean up the state'swater.
“Thefactory farm industry extracts profits from our rural communities and leaves usto deal with the pollution,” said Barb Kalbach a CCI member and 4thgeneration family farmer from Adair county. “We have over10,000 factory farms in Iowa, a moratorium is the only solution that matchesthe scale of the crisis.”
IowaCCI points to the growing grassroots support for a moratorium across the state.With over 6,000 Iowans signing a petition calling for a moratorium, and 26 countiespassing a resolution calling for a moratorium and/or stronger regulations onfactory farms.
“Peopleacross the state, rural and urban alike, understand that the factory farmindustry isn’t working for us,” said Brenda Brink a CCI member from rural Storycounty. “It is time for our state legislators to respond to ourneeds, not corporate ag interests. That means passing a moratorium at the statelegislature.”
Iowa is the leading hog producer in the nation with over 26 million hogs in confinement at any given time, meaning 1 in every 3 hogs produced in the United States. These factory farms generate over 22 billion gallons of toxic liquid manure that is dumped untreated onto farm fields across the state. Between human and animal waste Iowa creates the equivalent of 168 million people, in a state with only 3.2 million people.
Inresponse to the inaction of the Governor and legislature, Iowa CCI, along withFood & Water Watch and Public Justice have filed a lawsuit against thestate of Iowa. This lawsuit addresses their failure to address the impact ofcorporate ag and the factory farm industry on Iowa’s water crisis. Iowa's 767impaired waterways prevent Iowans from fishing, swimming in and kayaking onstate rivers and also results in higher drinking water costs.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement is astatewide, grassroots people’s action group that uses community organizing towin public policy that puts communities before corporations and people beforeprofits, politics and polluters. CCI has been fighting to put people first forover 40 years. Follow us on Twitter at @iowacci.