The National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (NCIFAP) has scheduled a public hearing on April 10th 4:00 – 6:00pm in Durham, NC to receive comments regarding the pork industry and CAFOs.
The self-titled Commission is funded by a $2.6 million grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts and managed and staffed by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future. The Commission is tasked with identifying, defining and developing plans to mitigate social, economic, environmental, public health and animal welfare issues associated with Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).
The Johns Hopkins Center has a history of supporting anti-CAFO activities such as producing the Meatrix I and II videos and websites. The grant had been previously rejected by the College of Agriculture at Iowa State University following a review of the objectives of the grant.
The eighteen member commission, representing animal science, economics, veterinary medicine, agriculture, business, government, animal welfare, conservation, public health and religion, will hold a number of "fact finding" meetings and "expert testimony presentations" designed to gather information to be used for the development of a final report targeted for release in March, 2008. This report will be widely distributed to the media and influential policy-makers.
According to the Commission’s website, many of the issues the NCIFAP is addressing include but are not limited to: swine manure and waste disposal systems; air and water pollution concerns; agricultural zoning issues; and zoonotic and foodborne diseases, such as avian influenza, Salmonella, and E. coli.
If you are interested in giving a presentation during the public hearing, registration information is available at the NCIFAP website.