A group in Iowa wants state
lawmakers to ban the construction of animal confinements until Iowa’s water
quality is significantly improved. With ties to the Humane Society of the
United States, the Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture is asking
lawmakers to support 15 bills tightening oversight of confinements. The Des
Moines Register reports that the bills seek a moratorium on building or
expanding concentrated animal feeding operations, until Iowa's list of impaired
waterways shrinks from 750 to fewer than 100, and until the rules that dictate
where confinements can be located are strengthened. The action is supported by
Des Moines Water Works, which sued three rural counties in 2015 over high
nitrate levels, but the lawsuit was dismissed. Iowa Pork Producers Association
President Curtis Meier (my-err) argues that Iowa's pork industry is
"already one of the most heavily regulated industries in the state and the
call for stricter regulations is unwarranted.”
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