Groups in Nebraska consisting of environmentalists, social justice seekers, and grassroots organizations are calling for state lawmakers to ban new concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
A petition was launched shortly after Costco planned to add more poultry barns in Saunders County, NB, but the petition addresses all CAFOs as a whole.
“Costco’s CAFOs are taking over Eastern Nebraska and changing our way of life,” the petition reads.
The online document also continues on to state, “County zoning regulations in Nebraska are either non-existent or so weak as to provide almost no meaningful environmental, natural resource, or public health protections from the hazards posed by CAFOs.”
Members who have signed the petition want to see updated county and state regulations, increased setbacks from residents and public use areas, air emissions reporting, nutrient management plans and increased protections and wages for farmworkers.
“Corporate livestock production and massive consolidation are NOT the future of Nebraska agriculture and put independent family farmers at risk,” the petition concludes.
