Animal feeding operations to be regulated under the general permit include those with more than 1,000 animal units or those required to by their local government. The general permit lists animal unit equivalents for slaughter or feeder cattle, dairy cattle, horses, sheep or lambs, turkeys, chickens, ducks and geese.
Swine continue to be regulated under the separate general permit issued a year ago.
This general permit should work well with the swine general permit issued a year ago and the department's inspection rules that went into effect Feb. 1. It will help ensure that producers, whether operating as a family farm or contracting to raise livestock for a corporation, operate in an environmentally safe manner. Myers commended ag-related and environmental groups alike for their comments and assistance during public input phases of developing the general permit. The general permit outlines what constitutes a concentrated animal feeding operation and which operations have to obtain coverage under the general permit, the permit application process, permit conditions, compliance responsibilities, and other general permit requirements. More specifically, the general permit lists requirements and recommendations for producers to implement best management practices to ensure they are in compliance with the permit.