IATP Hog Report - Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
IATP Hog Report - Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
IATP Hog Report - Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
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Section 7<br />
struggle to compete with hog factories similar to those Smithfield Foods,<br />
Inc. hopes to build in Pol<strong>and</strong>. The AWI continues to work with Polish<br />
farmers <strong>and</strong> help get them advice from U.S. farmers about profitable <strong>and</strong><br />
ecological alternatives to both Smithfield's hog factories <strong>and</strong> the collective<br />
hog factories that remain from communist times.<br />
Strategy 2.<br />
Clean Water Act En<strong>for</strong>cement<br />
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the federal law that governs the quality of<br />
U.S. rivers, lakes, estuaries, <strong>and</strong> coastal waters. It is administered by the U.<br />
S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).<br />
The Act's traditional focus has been on protecting surface waters by<br />
controlling wastewater from manufacturing <strong>and</strong> other industrial facilities,<br />
termed point sources. Most agricultural activities are considered nonpoint<br />
sources of pollution since they do not discharge wastes from clearly<br />
identifiable pipes, outfalls, or similar conveyances.<br />
Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has defined large animal factories (or<br />
confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs)) as point, rather than<br />
nonpoint, sources, subject to the Act's prohibitions against discharging<br />
pollutants into waters of the United States without a permit.<br />
Although the law provides <strong>for</strong> it, EPA has not reviewed or revised CAFO<br />
st<strong>and</strong>ards since they were promulgated in the mid-1970s. Nor has the<br />
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) been<br />
administered effectively to curb pollution from hog factories.<br />
In 1998, increased publicity surrounding manure spills, lawsuits by<br />
environmental groups against EPA <strong>and</strong> the states, <strong>and</strong> a 1997 directive by<br />
Vice President Al Gore to develop an Action Plan <strong>for</strong> strengthening water<br />
pollution control ef<strong>for</strong>ts, led EPA to draw up a draft plan. Public hearings<br />
were held across the country. In November 1998, a joint EPA/USDA draft<br />
unified national strategy <strong>for</strong> all animal feeding operations was released,<br />
defining roles <strong>and</strong> responsibilities <strong>for</strong> implementing the EPA plan on<br />
animal feedlots.<br />
Environmental groups consider the EPA/USDA strategy very weak. The<br />
proposed seven-year timeline to implement EPA's strategy (i.e., issue<br />
CAFO permits) is too slow, fails to address current ineffective animal<br />
waste practices, <strong>and</strong> allows CAFOs to proliferate in the meantime. Some<br />
groups have proposed a federal moratorium on new or exp<strong>and</strong>ed feedlots<br />
until EPA <strong>and</strong> the states develop <strong>and</strong> implement new programs.<br />
http://www.iatp.org/hogreport/sec7.html (4 of 13)2/27/2006 3:50:18 AM