IATP Hog Report - Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Section 5
10. Support groups assisting the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in its efforts to
extricate itself from the lease agreement that commits them to
providing infrastructure, resources, and labor for a major hog
factory development there; particularly the appeal effort of groups
that were permanently enjoined from taking actions that might
impair the construction and operation of the hog factory
development by South Dakota District Court Judge Charles
Kornmann
Rationale: (1) The people of Rosebud are saddled with a hog
factory development that most do not want, that they feel is not
delivering on its original promises, and that will have potentially
devastating economic, environmental, and cultural effects on their
community now and in the future. At the same time, extricating
themselves from the lease arrangement and from the legal pairing
with Sun Prairie and Bell Farms could be costly. What is the
Tribe's legal liability? From the standpoint of economic and
environmental justice, it is important that the appeal be won.
(2) Judge Kornmann's judgment overturned the decision by the U.
S. BIA headquarters to void a lease agreement approved by a local
BIA office. U.S. BIA's grounds for overturning the decision were
that the permitting and approval process violated the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and an environmental impact
study was needed before deciding whether or not to go ahead with
the project. It is important to get Judge Kornmann's judgment
overturned on appeal. As it stands, according to the attorney for
the litigators, the judgment is already affecting environmental
decisions in other parts of the country where local agency
personnel cave in to pressures by hog factory interests.
11. Help support communications among groups and especially
among group members who belong to disenfranchised or
impoverished communities that often are the target of corporate
hog factory investors.
Rationale: Individuals in these communities have few resources to
expend on things other than daily necessities. Most do not have
access to internet or computers or fax machines or office supplies.
Some may not have telephones or personal transportation. They
need funds for basic equipment to do their work.
12. Help local groups fund individual group members who end up
spending the bulk of their time in organizing and advocacy, but
who cannot afford to do so without compensation.
13. Help citizens investigate animal factories. Require owners and
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