South Iowa News

After Wapello County officials proposed hog confinement, many county residents opposed the idea, but the decision will be left to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

“When you walk outside and it is well below freezing and your eyes and nose can hardly stand the odor something is not right," Supervisor Jerry Parker said, according to the Ottumwa Courier.

But Mark York, county resident, said the county doesn't need a new hog confinement. 

“Apparently we’re not just feeding America,” he said at the city meeting. “We’re feeding a lot of people in Mexico, South Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, all over the world through these exports. We’ve got 6,300 hog facilities already in the State of Iowa. What necessitates to have more when we’re exporting the hogs anyway? That’s my concern.”

County resident Gail Hunter is also opposed due to the effect it could have on farmers in the area.

“They [concentrated animal feeding operations] take jobs away, especially from farmers, the small farmers,” Hunter said at the meeting. “The amount of hogs produced by the small-town farmer has been reduced drastically over the last 10 years because of the hog confinements coming into areas.”

She also said the hog confinement centers can cause health issues.

"It can make you susceptible to respiratory problems, nausea, diarrhea, burning eyes, confusion, tension, depression and fatigue,” she said at the meeting. “Children are especially susceptible to asthma. We’ve seen asthma attacks increase dramatically over the years.”

While no decision was made at the meeting, supervisors will be communicating citizens' concerns to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, according to Ottumwa Courier.