NORTHERN MISSOURI -- Northern Missouri's Premium Standard Farms is getting two more years to install odor-reducing technology at its approximately 365 hog barns.
The extension is part of a settlement with Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster that his office announced this week.
The state and PSF have been in an ongoing dispute over environmental issues since 1999.
State Representative Casey Guernsey of Bethany pushed Koster’s office to give PSF more time to comply because around 1,200 jobs were at stake.
"Considering the number of jobs that PSF has in the communities and the tax base that they provide to all of the municipalities and the taxing entities, it's something that we cannot exist without. At this point, it's our largest employer in north Missouri," said Guernsey.
If the company doesn't meet the July 2012 deadline for installing all of the new odor-reducing technology, it will be fined thousands of dollars per day of noncompliance.
The agreement also requires Premium Standard to give a total of $1 million to school funds and county road funds in the counties where it has operations.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKTVO