Community members seeking to block a proposed industrial swine operation near the St. Croix River are asking interested citizens to sign a new petition by October 28. The petition requests the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency review Cumberland LLC’s application for a facility that would raise about 250,000 hogs each year.
“As you are well aware, the State of Wisconsin is very supportive of concentrated animal feeding operations yet does not have the enforcement capability to police them,” the petition begins. “We feel that the Community needs to Petition the Federal Environmental Protection Agency to step in and survey our area in respect to potential environmental concerns when 9 million gallons of liquid manure are intended to be spread across the Watershed.”
The petition points to several concerns about the proposed Cumberland LLC facility, including threats to groundwater and nearby wells, the Trade and St. Croix Rivers, unfair competition for other farmers, and risks to human health.
