Chicken farming has long been a staple in Maryland agriculture and it’s changing.
What were once common operations that housed flocks of 25,000 chickens, are now being replaced with mega-chicken houses.
“Did it for 23 years, but I only had two houses, and that’s not even considered a chicken farm anymore,” Eastern Shore farmer Carol Morison said. “We’re seeing huge, huge 49,000 capacity houses per flock of chickens, and we’re seeing 10, 12, 20, sometimes three houses built on one place.”
The houses are producing a lot more waste, which has some worried that much more ammonia is being injected into the air, which threatens human health.
“We have the highest rate of asthma, respiratory diseases in the entire state of Maryland, and one in four of our youth in middle school have asthma,” Eastern Shore resident Monica Brooks said.
More/Video
18 comments:
They should do what the Carolina pig farmers do use air cannons and blast the manure into the air. Whenn it rains down on nithsdale. Then someone will stop it.
asthma can be caused by pollen too Monica.
Thank you CE and Council
Eastern shore has highest rate of non smoking related lung
Drop it on North Korea. They are sick from using human waste as fertilizer.
Well, we live on the east coast, and our wind comes from industrial places like Richmond, DC, and Baltimore. Their smoke settles here. Besides, I've noticed that the newer houses are a lot less odiferous than the old ones. There's a whole new set of standards in place now that greatly improves cleanliness.
These people are just jealous.
With all of the chicken crap runoff ruining our water, we need to shut them down.
Chicken farming is like the coal industry, yes it is a economic plus for the area, but it is also killing folks!
Time to clean up the shore and close them down!
Asthma is also caused by poor diets. Poor diets are rampant on the Delmarva Peninsula...
The poultry industry is being targeted so that municipalities and Exelon's Conawango damn's pollution can be hidden.
I bet each person holding a sign has ate some good ole Eastern Shore fried chicken. They don't look like vegetarians to me. Eat mo dead chicken says the cow.
Hey Monica - have you ever noticed all that aluminum, boron, etc, falling from the solar radiation management aerosols spewing all over the sky? Do you think that would have any effect on asthma?
Bring back breast feeding ! That's what they are there for they are not sexual accoutrement. Asthma is an immune deficiency disorder. Seldom enviromental.
They have NO science to back up their claims of pollution, or any connection to health. As to that Paleo Channel chicken farm protest, that Paleo Channel will be much more protected with chicken houses over it, where the "pollution" is contained, under roof, in the chicken houses, and is trucked away when the houses are cleaned out between flocks. Compare that to the sod farm that is currently there and all the fertilizer and chemicals they are spraying on that land, that leaches into the ground and water supply now. Beware of what they protest against. It is better to have the chicken houses, than all that land pollution that is currently taking place. I would much rather have a chicken house over my water supply, than all those chemicals (known carcinogens) that are being applied in commercial farming.
No CAFO's on N West Rd
Property was sold Tuesday
China owns these farms that should tell you something. I'm amazed how many new farms are popping up.
Hate to tell you but human waste is being put on fields from bay bridge tunnel to bay bridge. Good old beg for 600,000 to save my farm Harcum has contract with city of Philadelphia to poison us all. I guess the almighty dollar couldn't save them after all
You mean trucked away to the nearest field and spread of chicken sludge right over the water channel Travel down Naylor Mill rd in the summer when you see those tank tractors in a field and let me know about health hazards I’m not a tree hugger or anything like that But smell is also a bacteria and then the flies come and you know the rest of the story You can’t ever begin to enjoy the outdoors when this happens Also big industries do the tests in favor of guess who Right They don’t have to live where they are building or spraying
Au contraire, that is not "chicken sludge" that you have seen applied on that land. There is no such thing. That stinking sludge is pig waste. Commercial farming. The protesters have ensured that the Paleo Channel will continue to be polluted by the same commercial farming practices that it is currently exposed to. The protesters, and their wacky science, are stupid, and they have done no one any favors. The owners of the farm should do the same thing that attorney did that bought land for development next to Ocean Pines years ago. When OP went to court to deny his application for a zoning change to build a strip shopping center, he decided not to fight, and go ahead and use the property for what it was already zoned for, FARMING. And he started a commercial pig farm on that property that no one in Ocean Pines could stop. Brilliant response to their protest. Me thinks the Paleo Channel chicken house protesters are going to live to regret trying to stop the farmer from using his farm for chicken farming. It would have been an improvement over what the farm is doing now.
Post a Comment