Missouri must return control over CAFOs back to local government

Humorist Will Rogers once said, “We will never have true civilization until we learn to recognize the rights of others.”

When recognizing the rights of people as citizens, we have a lot of examples. At the inception of our distinguished nation, the preamble of the U.S. Constitution was established: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Missouri became the 24th state in 1821. Our state motto, carved in Latin into the ceiling of the state capital rotunda, reads: “Salus Populi Suprema lex Esto,” which means “The Welfare of the People Shall be the Supreme Law.”

This principle shows Missouri’s commitment to its citizens’ well-being. It reflects the values in the Constitution and should guide our elected representatives in Jefferson City. However, a state representative told me, “You only have as many rights as you have money and political power.”

The influence of money is clear in how Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are regulated and how they manage the large amounts of waste they produce.

In the early 2000s, rural citizens and family farmers negatively affected by CAFO pollution sued and won. But in 2011, the Missouri legislature changed the law to prevent people from suing over the loss of enjoyment of their property due to CAFOs. This change shows how money and power can overshadow the rights and well-being of Missouri citizens. The principles in Missouri’s motto and the state and U.S. Constitutions are ignored when economic power dictates our rights.

For CAFOs, the environmental and health impacts on nearby residents are often ignored. Corporate interests override the voices of communities, leaving them to deal with pollution and a declining quality of life. Legal victories once provided hope, but later changes in laws remind us how fragile justice is against powerful special interests.

In 2013, the corporate takeover of rural communities began with allowing foreign corporations to own 1% of Missouri farmland — which was at the time 289,000 acres. Shuanghui International, now WH Group, quickly bought Smithfield Foods, amassing over 40,000 acres of Missouri farmland.

In 2014, the “Right to Farm” constitutional amendment was introduced. Its deceptive language seemed to give CAFOs and foreign corporations free reign.

Then, in 2019, the Missouri legislature passed a bill outlawing “local control” over CAFOs. This bill stripped counties of their ability to protect citizens through local health ordinances. These rules limited CAFO setbacks from water sources, homes, schools, and churches. Counties could not enforce any protections stronger than Missouri’s weak regulations.

Communities across Missouri have voiced concerns as CAFOs intrude into neighborhoods.

Just since 2023, 22 CAFO permits have been proposed for Barry, Lawrence, McDonald and Newton counties, and the seven permits currently being considered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would allow 52 new barns and a whopping 2.5 million chickens in Lawrence and Newton.

This is an unacceptable level of concentration and density in the area. A key concern is our karst topography, which includes caves and underground rivers. CAFO waste could significantly  contaminate our groundwater according to the DNR’s own report..

This raises critical questions about the role of government and elected “representatives” in safeguarding the rights of Missourians. Are they truly representatives of the people, justice and welfare, or are they succumbing to external pressures that compromise the foundational ideals of our democratic process? It is in these moments that the responsibility of civic engagement becomes paramount, urging citizens to hold their representatives accountable and ensure that the welfare of the people remains the supreme law.

It may not be in your backyard now, but if we don’t act, it could be in your next glass of water.

This is a statewide issue. If the DNR is unwilling to do their job, then we need a legislative fix. A departmental resolution should be just the beginning. We need to repeal the 2019 law and let local governments address this problem.