Legislature proposes significant, immediate restrictions on industrial farms

Oregon lawmakers have scrapped a proposal to impose a moratorium on new industrial farms while regulators study how to better regulate them.

Instead, they have introduced a comprehensive set of proposed regulations for new and existing farms that would take effect immediately, addressing everything from air pollution to water supply to animal treatment. “This is a tough issue to solve now, and there’s no good reason to think it would be much easier after a moratorium,” Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, said. “We can’t support kicking this can down the road more.” Read more