豬肉銷售賺錢都會衝擊到環境品質

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Iowa signs agreement with EPA to increase inspections, enforcement of livestock facilities
Iowa agrees with EPA to boost farm inspections
A dead carp floats in water near the shore at Big Creek State Park, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013, in Polk City, Iowa. Iowa natural resources officials have signed an agreement with the EPA to inspect more livestock farms and more strictly enforce clean water regulations in an effort to improve the state's water quality often degraded by manure spills and runoff from farm fields. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Associated Press
David Pitt, Associated Press 5 hours ago  
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa officials will inspect more livestock farms and strictly enforce penalties when manure leaks into rivers or streams under a federal agreement signed Wednesday stemming from a yearslong dispute about enforcing the U.S. Clean Water Act.
The agreement comes about a year after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency threatened to take over enforcement of the federal law in Iowa if state officials didn't do a better job. The dispute stemmed back years and centered on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' refusal to regularly inspect the state's thousands of large cattle and hog farms.
"Iowa is one of the world's most productive centers for the meat that feeds this nation and the world, and it also happens to be in the middle of the two great river basins in North America," said Karl Brooks, the EPA regional administrator. "That's why it's really important that Iowa get a first-class water permit program that really matches its role in the center of the United States and this gets Iowa there."
The agreement requires on-site inspections of large livestock farms with more than 1,000 cows or 2,500 hogs. That would include about 3,200 farms in Iowa.
Some smaller farms with at least 300 cows or 750 hogs also may be inspected if they've had recent manure spills or are near streams or rivers. The plan also requires the DNR to evaluate all other medium-sized livestock operations — about 4,800 in Iowa — to be sure they're meeting regulations.
"This work plan agreement clarifies program implementation and is a reflection of Iowans working together on a commonsense solution that will encourage best practices and promote open communication between affected Iowans and the DNR," said DNR Director Chuck Gipp.
Livestock farming has changed dramatically over the past 30 years, from independent farmers raising cows and pigs in pastures or fenced-in lots to operations that now house animals in massive buildings.
Iowa — the nation's leading pork producer — typically has about 20 million hogs. A farm with 2,500 hogs fattened for slaughter generates about 1.2 million gallons of manure a year, most of which is spread onto farm fields as fertilizer.
But the fields can hold only so much before it begins leaching out. Heavy rain at certain times of the year tends to wash even more away into rivers and streams.
In addition, manure spills caused by faulty equipment or accidents can release thousands of gallons into rivers. Such incidents have increased in recent years, polluting local rivers and streams and killing large numbers of fish.
As proof that the state needs to work harder to prevent water pollution, environmental groups frequently point to 479 Iowa lakes, rivers and streams listed as impaired by the EPA. A wet spring this year caused some rivers in central Iowa to record the highest nitrate levels ever.
The EPA's pressure on Iowa began in 2007, after a coalition of environmental and citizen-action groups filed a petition calling on the federal agency to strip the state of its regulatory authority. The groups — Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, the Environmental Integrity Project and the Iowa Sierra Club — said the state was failing to enforce the Clean Water Act against livestock farms.
Five years later, the EPA informed the Iowa Department of Natural Resources that local farm oversight failed to meet Clean Water Act requirements. The agency concluded that Iowa failed to issue permits to livestock farms when required, did not have an adequate farm inspection program, and did not assess adequate fines when violations occur.
On Wednesday, the environmental groups praised the new agreement.
"This agreement is the critical first step we have been waiting for since EPA found over a year ago that Iowa's factory farm program is failing," said Environmental Integrity Project legal counsel Tarah Heinzen. "Strong continued oversight by EPA will be essential to ensuring Iowa adequately inspects and permits polluting facilities that have been let off the hook for years."
The Iowa Pork Producers Association said its members support the plan and feel it's equitable. The trade group's spokesman, Ron Birkenholz, said hog farmers already operate under a zero-discharge law that prohibits the release of manure into waterways.
"And we remain confident this additional inspection criteria will continue to show positive strides Iowa pork producers have made in managing manure nutrients and maintaining water quality," he said.
Matt Deppe, CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association, said farmers are concerned about an additional regulatory burden but appreciated having input into the new agreement.
"Our producers live each and every day working with and being good stewards of the land," Deppe said.
Under the agreement, the state also must adopt rules that require new farms to be specific distances from rivers and streams and broadens the number of farms subject to fines and penalties for failure to comply with regulations.
The agreement requires DNR to submit status reports in 90 days and again in 210 days, and then each year so the EPA can assess whether the state is moving toward compliance with the Clean Water Act.
The environmental groups say they plan to carefully track progress.
"This fight is far from over," said Larry Ginter, a farmer from Rhodes and member of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. "We will rigorously monitor the implementation of this agreement and continue to press our demands through rulemaking as well as during the 2014 legislative session."

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Babyface

愛荷華州簽署協議，環保局加大巡查，執法牲畜設施
愛荷華州環保局同意提高巡查農場
死鯉魚浮在靠近岸邊的水在大溪州立公園（星期二） ， 9月10日， 2013年，在波爾克市，愛荷華州。愛荷華州自然資源官員已經與美國環保局簽署了一項協議，以檢查更多的禽畜農場和乾淨的水更嚴格執行法規，努力提高國家的水質往往降解糞便溢出和農田徑流。 （美聯社照片/查理Neibergall的）
美聯社
大衛·皮特，美聯社5小時前
愛荷華州（美聯社） - 愛荷華州的官員將檢查更多的畜禽養殖場，嚴格處罰糞便洩漏到河流或小溪的下一個聯邦協議時，有關執行美國清潔水法案一個yearslong的糾紛源於週三簽署。
該協議是大約一年後，美國環境保護局揚言要接管強制執行在愛荷華州的聯邦法律，如果州政府官員沒有做一個更好的工作。糾紛源於年，集中在愛荷華州自然資源定期檢查國家的數千名大牛和肉豬養殖場拒絕。
“艾奧瓦州是世界最有生產力的中心，送入這個國家和世界的肉類之一，和它也發生在中間的2很大的河流流域在北美， ”說卡爾·布魯克斯， EPA區域管理員。 “這就是為什麼它是非常重要的，愛荷華得到真正符合其在美國的中心作用，並得到愛荷華有一流的取水許可程序”。
該協議要求超過1000頭奶牛2500頭生豬的大型畜禽養殖場的現場視察。這將包括約3,200個農場在愛荷華州。
一些小農場也可能至少有300頭奶牛或750頭生豬進行檢查，如果他們已經有最近的糞便外溢或溪流或河流附近。該計劃還要求DNR對所有其它大中型畜禽操作 - 在艾奧瓦州約4,800 - 以確保他們符合法規。
“這項工作計劃協議，明確計劃的實施和是一個常識性的解決方案，將鼓勵最佳做法，並促進開放之間的通信受影響的愛荷華州和柔紅黴素一起在愛荷華州的反映，說：” ， DNR董事查GIPP 。
畜牧業在過去的30年裡發生了巨大變化，從獨立農戶飼養的牛和豬在牧場或圍欄在很多業務，現在房子動物大量建築物。
衣阿華 - 全國領先的豬肉生產商 - 通常有大約20萬頭生豬。農場育肥出欄2500頭生豬產生的糞便約120萬加侖，其中大部分是作為肥料的農田蔓延到一年。
但字段只能容納這麼多才開始浸出。在特定的時間在今年的大雨往往進入河流和溪澗洗甚至更遠。
此外，糞便外溢所造成的設備故障或意外事故，可以釋放數千加侖排入河流。這樣的事件近年來不斷增加，污染了當地的河流和溪流，並造成大量魚類。
作為證明，國家需要更加努力地工作，以防止水的污染，環保團體經常指向479愛荷華州的湖泊，河流和溪流由環保局列為減值。今年春天潮濕導致一些河流在愛荷華州中部有史以來硝酸鹽含量最高記錄。
EPA的壓力在2007年開始在衣阿華，環境和公民行動團體組成的聯盟後提交了一份請願書，要求聯邦機構剝離的狀態，其監管權力。團隊 - 愛荷華州的公民為改善社區環境完整性的項目和愛荷華州的塞拉俱樂部 - 說，國家沒有強制執行的“清潔水法”對畜禽養殖場。
五年後，愛荷華州自然資源部環保局獲悉，當地農場的監督未能滿足清潔水法“的要求。該機構的結論艾奧瓦未能發出許可證畜禽養殖場需要的時候，沒有足夠的農場視察計劃，並沒有評估適當的罰款，發生違規行為時。
上週三，環保團體稱讚的新協議。
“這項協議是關鍵的第一步，我們一直在等待，因為EPA發現，一年多前，愛荷華州的工廠農場計劃失敗，說：”環境綜合項目法律顧問他拉戈Heinzen 。 “強由EPA將繼續監督是必不可少確保艾奧瓦州充分檢查，並允許污染的設施，已讓打爆多年。 ”
愛荷華州豬肉生產商協會表示，其成員支持這項計劃，並覺得這是公平的。貿易集團的發言人，羅恩Birkenholz ，說，豬農已經下運作一個零排放的法律，禁止糞便排入水道釋放。
“我們仍然有信心愛荷華州豬肉生產商已在肥料養分管理和保持水質，這個額外的檢驗標準將繼續呈現積極的進步， ”他說。
馬特Deppe ，愛荷華州的養牛協會的首席執行官表示，農民所關心的一個額外的監管負擔，但升值具有輸入到新的協議。
Deppe表示： “我們的生產生活每一天的工作和土地的好管家”， 。
根據協議，國家也必須採取的規則，要求新的養殖場要具體從河流和溪流的距離，擴大農場的數量未能遵守規定的罰款和處罰。
該協議要求在90天， 210天再次DNR提交狀態報告，然後每年因此EPA可以評估的狀態是否正朝著符合“清潔水法” 。
環保團體說，他們計劃要仔細跟踪進展情況。
“這場戰鬥還遠遠沒有結束， ”拉里·金特說，一個農民從羅得島和愛荷華州的公民為改善社區成員。 “我們將嚴格監督執行本協議，並通過制定規則，以及在2014年的立法會議，繼續按我們的要求。”




由專用軟體翻譯 ~~