EPC Denies Hog Factory Proposal in Van Buren County

The Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) voted 6-2 in July to deny a 4800-head hog factory in southwest Van Buren after the DNR gave an initial approval to the CAFO, according to IowaPolitics.com.

The Van Buren County Board of Supervisors originally recommended against the CAFO in April, based on their review of the Master Matrix. Their assessment found problems in six areas with out-of-state owner Steve Robinson's application.

However, when the DNR reviewed the application in June, the DNR disagreed with the Board of Supervisors on four of the areas and scored the Cargill-backed CAFO high enough to approve the facility reports th June 12 Fairfield Ledger.

One area of disagreement was over the legal separation distance to a nearby residence. The Supervisors determined that a trailer in close proximity to the proposed CAFO qualified as a residence since the owner lived there two days a week to look after his livestock. Since there wasn't an approved septic system for the trailer, the DNR disqualified that.

The Board of Supervisors demanded a hearing with the EPC, and in July, the EPC handed down a ruling denying the facility, located near the town of Cantril.

The Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement worked with the county to oppose the hog farm and find weaknesses in the Master Matrix. This was the third time in less than a year that ICCI in conjunction with the Board of Supervisors stopped the site from moving ahead.