The Grundy County Commission has begun looking at possible steps it can take to regulate the location of large Confined Animal Feeding Operations in the county.
Presiding Commissioner Rick Hull and Associate Commissioners Gene Wyant and Joe Brinser conducted a tele-conference this morning with Ivan Schraeder, an attorney with Lowenbaum law firm who is on retainer with the county. There were also 15 to 20 miembers of the public present.
According to Hull, several issues were addressed during the conversation. They discussed a rough draft of a health ordinance with Schraeder that would include a 2,640-foot setback requirement for CAFOs locating next to residential areas. The rest of the ordinance would fall back on Missouri Department of Natural Resources and state regulations and guidelines.
Schraeder is to present a rough draft to the commission.
He also told the commission and those present that the commission could possibly receive a letter from an attorney stating that the ordinance violates the Right to Farm law.
Hull said that if the ordinance is adopted, all existing operations would be grandfathered in and not be subject to the ordinance.
Once the rough draft is received, the commission would have to hold a public hearing before it could be adopted.
“At least this ordinance would let us know what is coming into the county ahead of time instead of finding it out from other landowners,” Wyant said.
The Missouri Clean Water Commission last week reversed a DNR decision to grant a permit to Trenton Farms RE, LLC to locate a large hog farm in the Hickory area.
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
