Iowa's Governor Terry Branstad Aims to Give Factory Farms Free Reign

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad wants to deregulate factory farms. He thinks that perhaps those pesky government regulations are slowing down production and adding to costs, a major problem since Branstad wants agribusiness in his state to double its output by 2050.

Governor Branstad is trying to convince his state that regulations are unnecessary. What he's basically saying is that businesses like factory farms should be able to treat their animals however they want, pollute as much as they want, and dump their waste wherever they want. He's also trying to convince the state legislature that his election means most of the state's population already believes these things. There is only one problem with Branstad's philosophy: It doesn't seem to be true.

You see, almost 90 percent of the counties in Iowa (88 out of 99) just met the annual deadline to adopt the Master Matrix scoring system. The scoring system is a tool that gives counties the right to appeal permits issued to factory farms by the state's Department of Natural Resources. In practice, it means that a county can exert more input over factory farms. The Master Matrix system must be adopted every year and is voted up or down by each county government, and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI) reports that folks from across the state called their county supervisors to push for the scoring system. “The fact that 88 out of 99 counties passed the Master Matrix this year clearly shows that everyday Iowans want local control and more public oversight to protect our environment from factory farm polluters,” says ICCI member and family farmer Vern Tigges. So much for Iowa citizens "wanting deregulation," as Gov. Branstad would have you believe.

Deregulation could wreak havoc on Iowa. The state already boasts the highest concentration of factory farms in the country after Gov. Branstad stripped zoning authority from county governments in 1995 (making the Master Matrix system so important). Iowa also has some of the most polluted waterways in the country, in a large part due to all the runoff from the state's factory farms. Deregulating factory farms would only mean more farms and more polluted water, not to mention more traffic, noise, air pollution, stink, chemicals, and potential health risks. Given these dangers, it seems like a no-brainer that Iowa citizens don't agree with Branstad's plan to deregulate factory farms.

Don't let Governor Brandstad deregulate factory farms. The people have sent a clear message that they want more control over farms, not less. Sign our petition to Governor Branstad today!

Photo Credit: IABoomerFlickr via Flickr