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Environmental Impact
Environmental Concerns and Agriprocessors Agriprocessors’ environmental history reveals some issues that may be cause for concern, including alleged waste dumping, a mass fish kill, groundwater contamination and possible avoidance of state regulations. In August 2006, the Iowa meatpacking company was at the center of a controversy involving wastewater management, resulting in a settlement of over $600,000 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Source documents are available for download. State Regulations - Iowa Northeast Iowa is a fragile geological zone commonly known as “karst.” According to the Karst Waters Institute: Common geological characteristics of karst regions that influence human use of its land and water resources include ground subsidence, sinkhole collapse, groundwater contamination, and unpredictable water supply. In 2005, Agriprocessors' subsidiary Cottonballs Poultry Farms was denied a permit by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for a poultry containment facility. The Associated Press reported that the company subsequently sought to “contract with 25 to 30 farmers in Winneshiek, Allamakee, Clayton and Fayette counties, with the farmers raising up to 49,000 chickens in up to two barns per site. The barns would not be large enough to fall under state regulations.” (See attachment below). The Cottonballs situation has raised environmental concerns about Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) and building them on a fragile geology such as Karst. Bob Watson, an Iowa environmentalist, mentions the Cottonballs/Meyers case in his book “Civilized and Inclusive.” Specifically: One of the confinements discussed is a chicken confinement which, because of multiple buildings on each site measuring 60 feet by 620 feet each and each building containing 49,999 birds, raises the issues of scale, "human induced sinkholes", antibiotic resistance through integrons in the beds, and bird flu risk among others. These chicken confinements belong to Cottonballs whose owners also own Agriprocessors in Postville. He discusses in-depth the alleged “pollution events” involving Cottonballs and its effects on the local environment. State Regulations - Nebraska Agriprocessors also operates Local Pride LLC, a meatpacking facility in Gordon, Nebraska, which received both a Notice of Violation (NOV) and a Letter of Warning (LOW) from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) in 2005. The NOV documented the “Introduction of pollutants, into the Gordon municipal wastewater treatment facility…at flow rates and/or pollutant concentrations that causes pass through or interference.” The LOW concerned the “Disposal of solid waste…at a location other than a solid waste management facility." Other documents acquired from the NDEQ include complaints from citizens about waste dumping and improper use of Gordon’s municipal wastewater treatment facility (see attachment below). Both letters were the result of an inspection conducted by the NDEQ on November 9, 2005. According to NDEQ officials, there is no indication of any current environmental violations. Agriprocessors and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency In August 2006, Agriprocessors resolved claims with the EPA for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act, and agreed to pay over $600,000. On August 30, 2006, Agriprocessors signed a Consent Decree with the EPA that includes specific monitoring and reporting provisions by which the meatpacking company is required to abide. According to a document obtained by the UFCW through a Freedom of Information Act request, Agriprocessors may have been in violation of some or all of those requirements as of March 29, 2007. The Consent Decree lists five main requirements: - Agriprocessors must choose an independent audit firm within 15 days of entry of Consent Decree.
- The EPA must review and approve the audit firm choice within 30 days.
- Once the EPA approves the audit firm, Agriprocessors must submit an Audit Work plan within 20 days for EPA approval.
- The audit must be conducted within 30 days of EPA approval of the Audit Work plan.
- Agriprocessors must provide the EPA with certification of audit completion within 45 days after the audit and the certification must state that:
- The audit was conducted according to the Audit Work plan.
- All current non-compliance items have been corrected or that steps are being taken to correct them.
In response to a FOIA request for information regarding Agriprocessors’ compliance with the Consent Decree, the UFCW obtained a letter from the EPA dated March 29, 2007, which states: Although the Consent Decree does require Agriprocessors to complete audits and to provide EPA with a report related to completion of those audits, the audits have not been started yet. Therefore, there are no responsive documents at this time. It is unclear what steps Agriprocessors has taken to assure compliance with the Consent Decree since March 29, 2007. Penalties listed in the Consent Decree for non-compliance range from $500 to $2,000 per day, depending on the period of non-compliance. We do not know if the EPA has found Agriprocessors to be in noncompliance and/or if the EPA has issued any additional fines beyond the original $600,000 settlement. A telephone conversation with the EPA on August 28, 2007, indicated that Agriprocessors notified the EPA that the company had recently completed the required audit. It is unclear whether the EPA considers Agriprocessors tardy in completing the audit and what penalties, if any, will be levied. Any findings and recommendations from the audit are also unknown at this time.
The following information
is available for download:
Agriprocessors agrees to pay EPA
(Posted: Nov 07, 2007 15:39:27)
Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports significant fish kill on the Yellow River
(Updated: Nov 07, 2007 14:41:00)
Cottonballs Poultry subcontracting
(Posted: Nov 07, 2007 14:36:20)
Complaints about Local Pride
(Updated: Nov 07, 2007 14:47:00)
Letters from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality to Local Pride
(Posted: Nov 07, 2007 14:30:25)
Environmental Protection Agency response to FOIA request
(Posted: Nov 07, 2007 14:24:33)
Page Last Updated: Nov 07, 2007 (15:39:27)
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