Green Daily

This post is part of a series about environmental justice, or EJ for short. The easiest way to understand EJ is to ask: Broadly speaking, are the costs of environmental degradation distributed consistently with the benefits? For instance, are the countries who are creating the most CO2 emissions suffering the lowest air standards? For a more in-depth definition, visit the EPA, Justice Net, or the Sierra Club.

In Marty, South Dakota a local Native American group is protesting the state's licensing of a large hog farm -- and some individuals have been arrested for attempting to prevent construction work on the farm. The native community is worried about the farm's proximity to a community Head Start center-- a federal grant-supported preschool development program aimed at leveling the academic and developmental playing field for economically disadvantaged children. So what if that playing field smells like pig poop?

These farms, called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), also require a lot of clean up. When you feed thousands of animals in a confined space, there is a natural consequence. They process the food and create -- you guessed it -- pig poop. Lots and lots of smelly and -- if not properly disposed of, hazardous -- solid waste.

The Yankton Sioux are not the only ones concerned with CAFOs: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulates CAFOs and list antibiotics, pathogens, solid wastes, pesticides and hormones as just a few of the potential hazards of discharges of manure at these farms.

Of particular concern in the case of CAFOs is the possibility that waste runoff will wind up in streams and rivers. The way CAFOs process waste is highly regulated. However, some farms don't always adhere to regulations, and some people believe the regulations are not strict enough. However, this is also one way to produce pork cheaply so that we can afford barbecue: is it worth it?