MEMPHIS, MO. -- Wednesday night Scotland County residents voted yes to allow the county to adopt a health ordinance regulating concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs.
Our Fact Finder Team learned the vote is not binding but the county commissioners are doing what the voters asked.
They plan to write an ordinance in the next couple of weeks. The commissioners tell Fact Finder they will try hard to make it fair for both sides.
“It's a very volatile issue here in the county and both sides were coming in daily and we just decided to put it on the ballot, let the people speak,” said Eastern Commissioner Dennis Clatt.
“We've got to do things whether they're popular or unpopular to try to help our young people get back into ag,” said Western Commissioner Paul Campbell.
Fact Finder learned Scotland County's ordinance will be similar to Linn County's with a few changes.
The commissioners tell Fact Finder the ordinance will only affect new construction as old farms will be grandfathered in.
“We do not want to be so restrictive so as that the producers here in Scotland County, if they choose to raise hogs, that they can do so whether it be independent or contract,” said Western Commissioner Paul Campbell.
“Farming has built this county, having large corporations come in and take the natural resources from the county and leave, during these tough economic times just doesn't seem like the best way to manage our county,” said Scotland County Family Farmer Garth Lloyd.
Campbell and Lloyd both tell Fact Finder Scotland County's number one industry is agriculture and farming.
“It's important to just keep in mind the golden rule, you know, you don't want to do something to somebody that you wouldn't want them to do to you. We're facing a situation where these hog confinements would be built right across from people's houses and the manure can be managed anyway they want to,” said Lloyd.
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