Farmed animal protection and environmental law

Hannah Connor

Chapter 38 in Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Animal Law, 2025, pp 147-150 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations threatens public health, degrades waterways, contaminates groundwater, pollutes the air, disrupts ecosystems, harms wildlife, and affects the quality of life for nearby communities. The Clean Water Act [CWA] is the US's strongest federal law against water pollution, and it explicitly recognizes Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations [CAFOs] as point sources for water pollution. But after 35 years of regulation, water quality impacts from CAFOs persist because: 1) the number of CAFOs that maintain CWA permits is limited; 2) the US Environmental Protection Agency's lack of information about the size and location of CAFOs across the country cabins federal oversight; and 3) existing CWA permits contain loopholes that allow CAFOs to avoid enforcement and compliance. The Clean Air Act [CAA] provides a framework for regulating stationary sources of air pollution, requiring strict permitting of ‘major sources’ that emit over threshold quantities of regulated pollutants. CAFOs do fall within the CAA definition for stationary sources; yet durable CAA regulation of CAFO pollution remains unrealized.

Keywords: Environmental law; Animal feeding operation; Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations; CAFOs; Clean Water Act; Clean Air Act; Pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781803923666
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