Enviro Groups Ask Moore Admin to Crack Down on Factory Farm Waste
Maryland’s general wastewater discharge permit for the state’s polluting poultry factory farms expires on July 7Annapolis, MD – Today, nine national and state environmental groups sent a letter urging the Moore administration and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to strengthen its general wastewater discharge permit for animal feeding operations (AFOs) when the current permit version expires on July 7. The permit was last updated in 2020.
Maryland is home to extensive broiler chicken operations, all located along the Eastern Shore. These operations are known polluters of state waterways including the Chesapeake Bay, whose water quality was downgraded to a “C” earlier this year. Food & Water Watch analysis finds that at any given time, Maryland confines some 36 million chickens on factory farms, generating 548 million pounds of litter (chicken poop, feathers, and bedding).
The letter outlines specific recommendations to improve pollution permits at these operations, including:
- Require that AFOs implement best management practices to better control waste pollution.
- Require that AFOs conduct representative monitoring to ensure permit compliance.
- Require individual National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permits for AFOs with anaerobic digesters and other biorefinery technologies.
- Reduce risks from manure manifestation/transfers.
“Factory farm waste is a known source of pollution in Maryland, and one that is heavily impacting our Eastern Shore,” said Jorge Aguilar, Southern Regional Director with Food & Water Watch, an organizer of the letter. “As shown by the Chesapeake Bay’s decline in health this year, there is much more that Maryland must do to address this preventable issue. Governor Moore can seize on the opportunity to be a clean water champion by strengthening factory farm pollution permits this summer. That means directing his MDE to protect our beloved waters for generations to come by enacting commonsense provisions we know will positively impact the Bay’s recovery.”
“Factory farm pollution has already taken a heavy toll on Maryland’s waterways and communities,” said Molly Armus, Animal Agriculture Policy Program Manager at Friends of the Earth. “It’s critical that the state take this opportunity to strengthen its oversight of animal feeding operations, address the growing risks from factory farm gas and protect the environment for the health and well-being of all Marylanders.”
Contact: Molly Armus, [email protected]