Letter: Animal factories ruin environment

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 1999 | 11:48 a.m.

The sad truth is that these days, most pigs and chickens are raised in huge factory warehouses owned by large corporations, with Old MacDonald nowhere to be seen. Every time one of these factories are built, ten family farmers go out of business.

At least one environmental organization, The Sierra Club, has taken this issue on as a national concern. We have at least one hog producer in the valley, but this is more of an issue for the Midwest. So, why should we care?

These animal factories aren't just forcing families to lose the farm; these huge farms pose a real threat to our health and the health of the environment. There is an operation planned for Utah that will produce 2.5 million pigs every year! When you produce millions, or even a mere few thousands, of pigs or chickens on just a few acres, their manure becomes a big problem. "Liquid waste lagoons" run 30 feet deep and they cover acres!

Guess what -- these lagoons leak. Just think about it. Hydrogen sulfide is one of the things that gets into the drinking water. Pfisteria is something else to watch out for. You got any cousins or grandkids in Arkansas or Minnesota?

We need to put a stop to these animal factories. The Environmental Protection Agency has let them off easy so far -- but we shouldn't allow these large corporations to pollute our environment, threaten our health, and run family farmers out of business.

Jane Feldman, Sierra Club member