A Missouri judge has lifted a temporary restraining order against a new law governing county-level restrictions of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
The order prevented SB 391 from going into effect; a bill that aims to prohibit county regulations on CAFOs that are stricter than the state law.
“And now, without this temporary restraining order in place, the law [391] is clearly in effect across the state of Missouri,” Robert Brundage, the attorney representing the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, the Missouri Pork Association, and the Missouri Farm Bureau, told Brownfield Ag News.
“And anyone who is adversely affected by any of these local health ordinances would be free to file any litigation against any counties trying to enforce these unlawful ordinances.”
Environmental groups argue about the constitutionality of the law, saying it violates Missouri’s Right to Farm constitutional amendment, which subjects farming to the authority of counties.
“This lawsuit is about the defense of local control.
We are defending local control by blocking SB 391,” Jeff Jones, president of Friends for Responsible Agriculture, told The Missouri Times.
“We are defending people’s voice so that it is not taken away.”
