Several states have developed stricter regulations for the animal feedlot industry. In particular, efforts have been made to limit the environmental impact of Maryland's poultry industry and the Midwest's hog industry.
Maryland's Governor Parris N. Glendening is currently weighing the political benefits and dangers of fining Tyson Foods Inc. Tyson has continued to dump poultry waste near its processing plant for nearly two months after the Maryland Department of the Environment ordered it to stop. In an interview last week, Glendening (D) said he would prefer to avoid fining Tyson but won't hesitate to act if the state determines the company willfully broke the law. Maryland officials are set to meet with Tyson for a second round of talks on July 22.
Meanwhile, a recent New York Times editorial lamented the corporatization of the hog industry. The editorial states that large hog confinement systems have multiplied beyond North Carolina to several states throughout the Midwest and the West. Colorado and South Dakota have proposed ballot initiatives to limit large-scale pork producers. The editorial further portrays the battle over hog factories as a struggle over the definition of farming. Instead of regulating confinement systems, other states have passed legislation against animal waste. This past spring, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska and Oklahoma passed laws to control pollution from animal waste. The new state laws vary in stringency and include such features as licenses and permits for manure handlers, limits on where and when manure can be spread, farm inspections, groundwater monitoring, and a legal mechanism for neighbors to sue nuisance facilities. Peter Goodman, WASHINGTON POST, July 13, 1998; NEW YORK TIMES, July 8, 1998; Janet Pelley, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, July 1, 1998:
