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Poultry Industry Issues New Standards Targeting Distance Between Homes and Farms

The poultry industry is implementing new standards for growers that contract with them, including increasing the distance between farms and homes. But environmentalists and some residents say self regulation isn't the answer. They want the setbacks to be part of legislation. photo by: Keri Brown

The poultry industry in North Carolina is increasing the distance between chicken farms and residents as the industry continues to grow.

The standards say new poultry houses in the state will have to be constructed 1,000 feet away from a home.  And the number is 1500 feet if it's near schools, and churches.  It's the first time the industry has changed the rules since the mid-90's.

But some residents say this doesn't fix the problem. They're concerned the waste and pollution is impacting their health and the environment as the industry continues to grow. Will Scott, with the Yadkin Riverkeeper, says the guidelines aren't enough to protect residents.

“I think voluntary is the key word here,” says Scott. “This isn't something that if there's a problem with the facility that neighbors could actually go to their state representative to their local folks from the department of the environment and say this facility is in violation. There still relying on the industry to enforce these rules.”

Scott wants to see legislation on the issue. But the North Carolina Poultry Federation says more regulation would hurt the state's $34 billion industry. Bob Ford, with the North Carolina Poultry Federation, says they follow state and federal laws, and they're working.

“I know some of our industry folks have turned down requests for more poultry housing because it wasn't a good location to build them,” says Ford. “We now encourage poultry production buildings to be built 1,000 feet back and we think it will make us better neighbor to folks who live close by to some of these farms.”

Ford says the new rules have been distributed to county extension offices, banks and several other areas to let farmers and residents know about the changes. It also includes guidelines for establishing natural barriers, buffers and poultry waste treatment facilities.

The new distance standards officially went into effect on April 1.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

 

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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