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Speak out against corporate hog farms
You can take action on this alert by reading the information below and following the
directions at the bottom.
The Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee is expected to vote Wednesday, April 2 at 9:30 a.m. We need you to speak out against this devastating bill.
From our friends at the Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club:
Once again, ALFA is sponsoring the Family Farm Preservation Act, SB 368, which is better known as the Hog Farm Bill. As you probably know, the bill is named to convince the public that the purpose is to protect small family farms. However, the truth is that this bill would provide a legal shield for hog factories and their huge cesspits - and for the protection of the liability insurance ALFA writes on these farms
This bill has been assigned to the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee. The Chair of this committee is Senator Kim Benefield (D) of the 13th District. We are asking you to contact her and the entire committee to let them know that you oppose this dangerous bill because it is detrimental to our small family farms. You can use information below in your communication. Here is her contact information:
SYNOPSIS:
The proposed bill has historically stated that the farm or expansion of the farm could not be found to be a nuisance or to be in violation of county or municipal ordinances if the farm has been in operation for one year or more and is operated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The bill would also authorize the owner of a farm to recover legal fees if the litigant is not successful in proving that the farm is a nuisance.
THE FACTS:
- Hog factory farms cause loss of property value to their neighbors.
- Persons living near large hog factories suffer higher levels of upper respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments than people living near other types of farms. Hog factories also pose a hazard to drinking water.
- The industrial odor from a hog factory is often intense and greatly decreases quality of life for its neighbors. The gases and particles emitted by hog factory operations are ammonia, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane, dust, and endotoxins.
- Neighbors of hog factory farms often suffer from large swarms of disease-carrying flies that hover around their doors and find many ways of entering their homes.
- While corporate growers claim to bring economic growth to small rural communities, the truth is that they tend to hamper economic growth. For every 3 jobs created by corporate growers, 7 rural agricultural jobs are lost. The big profits end up in out of state corporate headquarters.
- ALFA claims that ADEMs regulations are stringent. However, a recently appointed committee looking into ADEMs environmental penalties found that current policies are too arbitrary and vague and that they encourage lax punishment for offenders.
The committee is expected to vote on Wednesday, April 2 at 9:30 AM. Please send in your comments ASAP!
Thank you for your assistance!
Your message will be sent to each of the following targets:
Senator Bobby Singleton
Senator Harri Anne Smith
Senator Henry E. Erwin Jr.
Senator Hinton Mitchem
Senator Kim S. Benefield
Senator Larry Means
Senator Marc Keahey
Senator Myron C. Penn
Senator Rusty Glover
Senator Tom Butler
Senator Wendell Mitchell
Senator Zeb Little
A sample message appears below, which you may edit before sending.
Please vote NO on SB368
Dear Senator Singleton,
I'm writing you today to ask that you vote "No" on SB368.
For seven years, Alfa has been touting this bill as the "Family Farm Preservation Act." However, I am well aware that this bill is an attempt by Alfa to protect large, corporate hog farms from being sued under nuisance laws.
With weak enforcement at ADEM, many citizens only have nuisance lawsuits as a method to protect their communities from the pollution and stench of corporate hog farms. Please support citizen rights over corporate hog farms by voting "no" on SB368.
Some facts about corporate hog farms include:
- Hog factory farms cause loss of property value to their neighbors.
- Persons living near large hog factories suffer higher levels of upper respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments than people living near other types of farms. Hog factories also pose a hazard to drinking water.
- The industrial odor from a hog factory is often intense and greatly decreases quality of life for its neighbors. The gases and particles emitted by hog factory operations are ammonia, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane, dust, and endotoxins.
- Neighbors of hog factory farms often suffer from large swarms of disease-carrying flies that hover around their doors and find many ways of entering their homes.
- While corporate growers claim to bring economic growth to small rural communities, the truth is that they tend to hamper economic growth. For every 3 jobs created by corporate growers, 7 rural agricultural jobs are lost. The big profits end up in out of state corporate headquarters.
- ALFA claims that ADEMs regulations are stringent. However, a recently appointed committee looking into ADEMs environmental penalties found that current policies are too arbitrary and vague and that they encourage lax punishment for offenders.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this request.
Sincerely, Your name and address here
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This Action Alert Campaign is Closed.
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