Iowa Farmers Union believes that county boards should have the authority to regulate or prohibit siting of animal confinement units. Currently zoning of livestock confinements is prohibited through an agricultural exemption; Iowa Farmers Union believes that large industrialized livestock facilities are patently different from non-industrial livestock facilities, and should be regulated as industrial.

Livestock Concentration

Iowa Farmers Union policy, written and voted upon directly by members at our annual convention, contains detailed suggestions for regulating livestock production in Iowa to allow maximum economic development for family farmers and their rural communities and minimum negative impacts on the environment and society, both rural and urban. IFU members believe that it is the responsibility of every individual and business, as well as state government, to practice good stewardship of our land, air and water. Large confined animal feeding operations are among the largest threats to our state’s environment. It is important that these operations be held to the highest standards of accountability to ensure that they do not profit at the expense of the human, environmental and economic health of their neighbors.

Among 2007 legislative initiatives proposed to ensure this are:
>> Design a workable form of county control of livestock siting.  Iowa’s public health and environmental integrity require that counties have the authority to regulate or prohibit siting of animal confinement units.
>> Eliminate the pollution control property tax exemption. Large industrialized livestock operations should not be rewarded for irresponsible behavior
>>Preserve our state’s clean air with a 15 ppb limit on pollution emissions (ammonia and hydrogen sulfide)   for livestock farms. Set and enforce effective penalties for non-compliance.