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Large livestock farms and how they are regulated in Ohio came under attack in a new report from the Washington D.C.-based organization the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP).

"The report singles out a few farms and emphasizes a few problems," said David White, executive director of the Ohio Livestock Coalition, to which OFBF belongs. "It is definitely lacking in accuracy."

Nevertheless, EIP's report on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) drew headlines in several Ohio newspapers. Its release comes as the Ohio Department of Agriculture is working to obtain authority over Clean Water Act permits for CAFOs.

The report charges that ODA has not effectively enforced rules for CAFOs and therefore should not be given oversight of National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permits, which are now administered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"The best incentive is a disincentive, which currently is lacking in CAFO enforcement," said Trent Dougherty, staff attorney for the Ohio Environmental Council, which partnered in the report.

The report calls for ODA to toughen up enforcement through measures such as eliminating warning letters, holding farmers liable for manure applied by a third party and requiring an annual report of all facilities.

White said the report appears not to consider the more than 200 pages of laws Ohio has on the books for CAFOs.

He notes that state laws already prohibit CAFOs from discharging any pollution unless they meet an agricultural stormwater exemption. OFBF has supported moving the Clean Water Act permitting authority to ODA to offer farmers what White calls "one-stop shopping."

Meanwhile, the U.S. EPA Region 5, is taking a different approach to dealing with CAFO pollution concerns. The office wants to recognize a CAFO that makes outstanding efforts to protect water quality. The Water Resources Stewardship Award for CAFOs is open to beef, dairy, swine and poultry farms in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin.

According to the award instructions, the program "aims to heighten public awareness of the contributions CAFOs make to clean water, and encourages public support for effective management."

The deadline to submit nominations is mid-January 2007. For more information visit www.ofbf.org and click on featured links.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture hopes to administer Clean Water Act permits for CAFOs such as the one seen here.