Action Alert:
bills independent livestock producers need to be concerned about
Oppose: House File 2288 & Senate File 2071 - State money for factory farm environmental costs
These bills are intended to help corporate factory farms pay up to 75% of the cost of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) that are required through a court decision. An EIS is a thorough environmental audit of a proposed large-scale livestock facility. They are only performed on livestock operations that threaten irreversible damage to the environment. The money provided in these bills is not available to the proposers of a livestock facility unless they are taken to court and a judge rules that an EIS is necessary. There have been only two Environmental Impact Statements required for livestock operations: a 500+ cow dairy and an estimated 3,000 animal unit hog operation (3,000 animal units = 10,000 finishing hogs), and both were ordered by judges who ruled that the MN Pollution Control Agency failed to do its job to protect the people of the state and its natural resources.
Call your Senator and Representative at 651-296-2146 and let them know you oppose House File 2288 and Senate File 2071, which give money to factory farms to pay for their environmental costs. Also leave messages for Rep. Robert Ness, Rep. Greg Davids, Rep. Tim Finseth, Rep. Richard Mulder, Rep. Torrey Westrom, and Senator Charles Berg, the authors of these bills.
Oppose: Senate File 701 - Nuisance lawsuit protection for factory farms
Presently, all livestock facilities less than 1,000 animal units are protected from nuisance lawsuits if they have at least two years of good standing with their neighbors. Senate File 701 would grant legal protection from nuisance lawsuits to livestock facilities of 2000 animal units (2,000 animal units = 6,000 finishing hogs or 5,000 sows). Senate File 701 would allow investors to buy a family farm in a community, build a new 5,000 head finishing facility, and shield themselves from nuisance lawsuits brought by neighbors who have been adversely affected. This bill does not help family farmers; it simply expands legal protection to some of the largest livestock producers.
Call your Senator at 651-296-0504 and let them know you oppose Senate File 701, which expands legal protection from lawsuits for the largest livestock operations. Also leave messages for Sen. Kenric Scheevel, Sen. Steve Dille, Sen. Steve Murphy, Sen. Dallas Sams, and Sen. Michelle Fishbach, the authors of this bill.
Support: Senate File 1357 & House File 1251 - Restoring sustainable agriculture budget cuts
Minnesota has a few small but important state programs that try to foster healthy farm communities and family farm sustainable agriculture. Governor Venturaís proposed budget drastically slashes funding for programs that support sustainable agriculture research and practice. The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture would lose 40% of its budget, while grants for sustainable agriculture and Integrated Pest Management demonstrations would be cut 47%. Aid to help farmers become certified organic would be dropped completely. These and other programs assist farmers in transition to more sustainable methods of farming and provide valuable information not available anywhere else. At a time when demand for sustainable food is growing and prices for commodities are reaching all time lows, now is not the time to cut support for these programs. We need them now more than ever.
Call your Senator and Representative at 651-296-2146 and let them know you support House File 1251 and Senate File 1357, which restore funding to sustainable agriculture programs at the Department of Agriculture. Also call Senate Environment and Agricultural Budget Division Chair Len Price (651-297-8060) and House Agriculture and Rural Development Finance Chair Robert Ness (651-296-4344).
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