Idaho county tightens feedlot rules
Wednesday, January 2, 2008 10:55 AM PST
BURLEY (AP) — Cassia County commissioners in south-central Idaho have brushed off a threatened lawsuit by the dairy and cattle industries and repealed a county ordinance that allowed feedlots to be built without having to meet certain guidelines for dealing with manure.
Commissioners Friday repealed the ordinance that allowed feedlots to be established without requiring a minimum number of acres on which to spread manure, based on the number of animals at the feedlot. That formula is one acre per two animal units, with an animal unit made up of one cow and one calf.
Alternatives to spreading the manure over large areas, called land application, include composting and anaerobic digestion, where large tanks hold biodegradable material that is broken down by microorganisms.
The Idaho Dairy Association and Idaho Cattle Association threatened to sue the county if it repealed the provision, contending the county would be usurping state and federal authority, county Administrator Kerry McMurray said.
He called that argument baseless.
‘‘In my view, it is a fairly blatant attempt to operate unfettered,’’ he told the South Idaho Press. The county’s confined animal feeding operation ordinance ‘‘generally, is working well. It’s accomplishing the things we need it to accomplish.’’
Bob Naerebout, president of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the organization will likely sue.
‘‘On Wednesday we’ll be sitting down with our attorneys,’’ he said. Josh Tewalt, executive vice president of the Idaho Cattle Association, did not immediately return a call to the AP.
In repealing the ordinance, county officials said they were concerned about unchecked growth of feedlots.
‘‘We can’t deny the fact that the dairy industry has been a blessing to our county, as far as economically,’’ said Bruce Beck, planning and zoning commissioner. Of Idaho’s nearly 500,000 cows, about 70 percent are in southern Idaho.
As the cattle industry grows, county officials have become more concerned about health concerns and quality-of-life questions for area residents, and some have taken regulatory action. Late last month, the dairy and cattle industries filed a lawsuit against Jerome County over a six-month extension of an emergency moratorium that county commissioners passed to prevent new confined-animal feeding operations. Nearby Gooding County has also passed ordinances restricting feedlots, and in October the cattle and dairy groups sued it, arguing that the ordinances will force the livestock industry out of the county.
