Matt Olberding reported this week at the Lincoln (Nebraska) Star Journal Online that, “A coalition of citizen and environmental groups is calling for a moratorium on large livestock operations in the state.
“At a media event in rural Valparaiso on Monday, the groups unveiled a Change.org petition seeking support to put a temporary stop to what they call ‘factory farms.’
“Randy Ruppert, a Nickerson resident who has been a frequent critic of the Costco poultry processing plant in Fremont, said such a moratorium is needed because state and local zoning laws are inadequate to deal with large confined animal feeding operations.”
The article noted that, “Craig Head, a spokesman for the Nebraska Farm Bureau, said calling for a moratorium, ‘ignores the realities of what farmers must do to build and operate a new livestock farm.’
“‘Nebraska farmers go through an extensive process and must adhere to numerous local, state, and federal regulations, governing everything from where barns can be located, to how they operate for the protection of natural resources and the environment,’ Head said in a statement. ‘A moratorium on Nebraska livestock farms, as has been proposed by some environmental and activist groups, would be nothing short of a disservice to Nebraska farmers, our rural communities, and our state.'”
