An ag group leader says one word
is responsible for derailing Wisconsin’s legislation designed to update the
state’s livestock siting rules.
Cynthia Leitner is the President
of the Wisconsin Dairy Alliance, which represents large dairy producers with
CAFO permits. She says if “and” had not
been changed to “or” under the section on Political Subdivision Authority
related to agriculture zoning, they could have supported the bill. “If it’s ‘and’ you have to prove
scientifically that it’s detrimental to the health or the well-being of the community,
and that in itself gives you a reason for doing what you’re doing with the zoning. If you put the “or” in there, you don’t have
to have the scientific proof to change the zoning.” Leitner says not fixing that one word in the
bill would have given local government the ability to zone any farm out of
business.
