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Oppose Alabama Bill to Help Factory Hog Farms

The factory farming lobby is trying to expand factory hog farms in Alabama with the passage of S.B. 368. Deceptively titled the "Family Farm Preservation Act," S.B. 368 will in fact only serve to aid expansion of factory farms, otherwise known as Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).

S.B. 368 seeks primarily to 1) make factory hog farms immune from nuisance lawsuits brought by citizens and 2) effectively prohibit local municipalities from declaring any factory hog farm a public or private nuisance.

Factory hog farms are notorious for the havoc they wreak on animals, the environment, property values, and the quality of life of those who live in surrounding communities. Animal advocates oppose factory farms because of the immense animal suffering involved in packing tens of thousands of animals inside giant warehouses.

Environmental advocates oppose factory farms because of the devastation they wreak on local ecosystems. They store massive amounts of animal waste in giant manure lagoons, which-in addition to generating a putrid stench that can travel for miles-can leak into and contaminate the ground water supply. Additionally, when these manure lagoons breach, surrounding lakes and rivers can be contaminated and aquatic life devastated.

Local community members are concerned about factory farms because of their destructive impact on their health, general quality of life and property values.

Factory farms are so harmful to communities that they are frequently the subject of citizen and local government lawsuits. S.B. 368 would effectively immunize factory farm operations from these lawsuits, leaving citizens with no recourse. Additionally, S.B. 368 would make it almost impossible for local governments to declare a factory farm operation a public or private nuisance.

What You Can Do:
S.B. 368 is now under consideration by the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, so action now is of critical importance. Please contact your Alabama state senator and ask him or her to OPPOSE S.B. 368, and let he or she know that Alabama needs fewer-not more-factory farms. You can look up the names and contact information for Alabama state senators here.

Calling your legislators is simple. Just dial their office number and tell the person answering the phone,

"Hi, I am a constituent and I am calling to urge the senator to oppose S.B. 368 because I oppose factory farming and the harm it does to animals, people and the environment."

Background and talking points you may wish to include in your correspondence:

• Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) produce vast amounts of waste, commonly stored in football field-sized manure lagoons, which emit toxic gases like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide into the air.
• People living near CAFOs have reported a multitude of health problems, including respiratory difficulties, fatigue and even depression.
• One University of Iowa study showed that children living near hog farms had a higher prevalence of asthma, while another found that up to 70 percent of factory farm workers are afflicted with acute bronchitis.
• Manure lagoon breaches and leaks and runoff from spray fields can pollute surrounding rivers and lakes, contaminate ground water and devastate aquatic life.
• A Colorado State University study found waterways in agricultural regions polluted with antibiotic drugs known to be specifically used on factory farms.
• In addition to causing health problems, the noxious odors from factory farms drive away tourists from and decrease property values in surrounding communities.
• Sows suffer from physical and psychological maladies as a result of intensive factory farm confinement. The unnatural flooring and lack of exercise cause obesity, skin wounds and crippling leg disorders, while the deprived environment produces neurotic coping behaviors such as repetitive bar biting.
• Crowded and confined, hogs are forced to breathe air laden with dust, dander and noxious gases, which are produced as the animals' urine and feces build up inside the sheds.
• Studies of workers in swine confinement buildings have found 60 percent to have breathing problems, despite the fact that they spend only a few hours a day inside confinement buildings.
• Factory farming is both a regional and a global problem because it contributes to global warming by producing more greenhouse gases than all vehicle emissions.