During the 2014 session of the Iowa Legislature, and lawmakers were able
to continue the tuition freeze for regent universities, update the
HIV/AIDS transmission law, legalize limited forms of medical marijuana,
allocate more funds for REAP and end dog racing in Dubuque and Council
Bluffs.
In the 2015 session, there is one issue I strongly encourage our
legislators to address: concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs),
or factory farms.
There are many problems associated with this type of agricultural
operation, including air and water pollution, manure spills, antibiotic
disease resistance, strong odors, damaged infrastructure, and
monopolization and vertical integration of our farming system, not to
mention the detrimental effects on the welfare of livestock.
If these operations are to continue, we need to restructure the way they
are managed. We cannot continue to use a reactionary approach where farms
are given assistance to clean up manure spills. The Legislature should
consider and give local control of CAFOs to communities. Activists have
done an excellent job of organizing communities in protest of CAFOs, and
our laws should better take into consideration the livelihoods of
individuals who are the most affected by these operations.
— Jane Kersch, Ames

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