In response to David Shorr’s editorial “Be Careful What You Ask For,” we are compelled to render the following response: “You Might Just Get It.”
According to Mr. Shorr, the bill currently before the Missouri General Assembly to provide a buffer around State Parks and Historic Sites prohibiting Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) is nothing more than an artfully drafted piece of legislation by wealthy patrons to protect the small town of Arrow Rock from small farmers who want nothing more than to keep a profitable farm in their family for generations. In so doing, Mr. Shorr has failed to realize the true intent behind this bill and the disastrous effects that failure to pass this bill would have on the State of Missouri as a whole.
The hog farm that Mr. Shorr describes as being “reasonably sized” is actually an industrial operation that will house 4,800 hogs. Ask yourself how far you would like 4,800 hogs, each one producing 2.5 times more waste than one human being, to be from your front door or your city limits?
In his editorial, Mr. Shorr states that the proposed Missouri measure would limit a CAFO from being operated within 15 miles of a state park. Such a statement is untrue. The proposed Missouri law actually states that a CAFO may not be operated within 5 miles of a state park or historic site.
This bill also takes into considerations the health hazards caused by CAFOs. Two agricultural states, Iowa and North Carolina, have addressed the negative health issues created by CAFOs through published, controlled studies of odor experienced by community residents living in proximity to CAFOs. The Iowa study found increases in several symptom clusters, mainly eye and upper respiratory symptoms, among those living within two miles of a swine CAFO. To combat these health hazards, both states enacted laws that prevent a CAFO from being operated within a specific distance of public areas. Missouri’s lax law says up to 7,499 hogs can be located 1,000 feet (less than one quarter mile) from a private residence or public building. The largest set-back protection provided by Missouri law is 3,000 feet (approximately three-quarters of a mile) for 17,500 hogs or more.
Mr. Shorr would have readers believe that this bill would trample on the rights of private landowners to utilize their property in the way that they see fit. But what of the rights of those citizens that live in Arrow Rock who must suffer through the various maladies that such a large industrial hog farm could create? Missouri law has long recognized landowners’ rights to use their land in whatever manner they choose—as long as its use does not infringe upon the rights of others. To protect the rights of those neighbors, Missouri has instituted “nuisance laws” that prohibit a landowner from creating a condition on their land that negatively affects the value or use of those that live nearby.
The supporters of this proposed legislation are not saying that a farmer cannot own a hog farm, nor are they saying that a farmer cannot operate a CAFO. The supporters of this measure are merely trying to protect the health of their neighbors and children and preserve the natural beauty and splendor of a place such as Arrow Rock by providing that a CAFO cannot be operated within 5 miles of a state park or historic site.
It is easy to understand why Mr. Shorr would be motivated to pen such an editorial, as a lawyer and lobbyist for Lathrop & Gage, a national law firm that employs over 300 attorneys. The firm represents Tyson Foods, one of the largest corporate farm industries in the nation. Such a client would be well-served by having such large industrial farms proliferate through Missouri’s countryside.
Mr. Shorr’s lax attitudes toward the environment did not begin when he entered the private sector. While Mr. Shorr served as the director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri passed its current CAFO laws, which mandate that a CAFO permit be issued upon the submission of a CAFO applicant—no state inspection required. The present laws allow that a large industrial hog farm that houses 7,499 or more hogs need only be 1,000 feet away from a public building or residence. These aforementioned requirements are a far cry from the laws passed by our neighbor to the west, Kansas, a state whose hog operation laws Mr. Shorr applauds in his editorial. As the state’s top environmental regulator in the mid-1990s, Mr. Shorr had a responsibility and a duty to protect Missouri citizens from the dangers that large industrial hog farms pose to their health, welfare, and enjoyment of our great state’s treasures. Instead, under his watch, Missouri passed some of the more lenient CAFO laws in the nation. The current bill before the Missouri General Assembly to require buffer zones around state parks and historic sites will rectify these shortcomings, if it is enacted into law.
Lastly, Mr. Shorr’s attempt to minimize the importance of the Village of Arrow Rock and its supporters is shameful. Arrow Rock is not only a state historic site, but also a National Historic Landmark, placing it in the top 3 percent of historic properties in the United States. In fact, Arrow Rock was recently named as one of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2006 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Arrow Rock is a destination for more than 150,000 tourists who travel to experience history and the arts. The “theater” that Mr. Shorr describes is actually the renowned Lyceum Theatre, Missouri’s oldest professional regional theater.
Professional actors, directors, designers and technicians from across the country take residence in Arrow Rock for five months to bring its audience Broadway-caliber musicals and plays.
While protecting the financial interests of large farming businesses is Mr. Shorr’s business, it should be more important to protect the health and rights of Missouri citizens who enjoy our state parks and historic sites annually. This is why the supporters of Arrow Rock have united to support the proposed legislation of a 5-mile buffer around state parks. This is why all Missourians should unite to see that it is passed.
—Kathy Borgman
Member, Steering Committee, Citizens to Protect State Parks and Historic Sites, Arrow Rock, Missouri