Missouri’s legislature voted this week to prevent counties from passing more stringent laws regulating concentrated animal feeding operations, many of which pose an environmental and public-health risk to their neighbors. The bill’s critics argue the blanket standard will prevent rural communities from using one of the few legislative levers they have left to protect their health and property. Under the new law, local standards regulating industrial-scale livestock operations cannot be stricter than any of those set by the state.
By Emily Moon. May 17, 2019. Pacific Standard