A Kentucky judge has ruled that Tyson Foods and one of its broiler growers can face criminal prosecution for allowing odors to trespass into the city of Marion, even though the farm is outside the city limits. The judge said odor from the 16 houses and their 400,000 chickens could trespass onto the property of adjoining city residents. Maryland has approved a poultry company's plans for a power plant in an Eastern Shore town. Allen Family Foods can now proceed with a 4-megawatt plant in Hurlock that would be fueled by chicken litter, a combination of chicken manure and wood chips. Easley's committee has been considering a key hog bill that could affect Seaboard Farms, Oklahoma's largest hog producer.
Nearby residents complain the odor attracts buzzards and makes outdoor activity unbearable.
But they're performing another test to be sure. Environmentalists say they're leery about North Carolina's plans to ease the loads on the state's water-quality inspectors. Right now, each of the state's 2400 animal farms gets at least two inspections per year. The proposed rule changes would allow inspectors to focus only on problem farms. And recent studies link dust and gases from large hog farms to greater numbers of health complaints.