If Hi-Q Farms does go through with their planned 6,000,000+ factory chicken farm in Union County, Ohio, it would be the largest farm of its type in the U.S.
Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th district, Mary Jo Kilroy, and the rest of the Franklin County Commissioners have voiced their opposition to the proposed Hi-Q Farm, according to the Dispatch. Due to threats to the environment, drinking water, and other concerns, Kilroy and the property owners in the area are standing against Hi-Q.
What is Republican candidate Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, doing? Stivers orchestrated a vote and passed a law that makes it virtually impossible for local communities to stop the placement of these mega farms in Ohio. Obviously, Stivers doesn't care about community values. Stivers is concerned about supporting big oil, big insurance companies, banks, and big business and the thousands of dollars they contribute to his campaigns. Now Stivers is blaming everyone else who voted for the legislation instead of taking the responsibility himself. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Despite assurances from agencies and even the Hi-Q Farms owners, we do not know what the future brings. The Scioto River has problems with waste when it rains too much. What kind of damage will there be to the air? Will more children end up with asthma because of the pollutants in the air? What will the nearby property owners do when their land values plummet? Will the farms' neighbors be able to cope with the millions of living and dead flies in their homes, cars, and on their property? Will picnics with the family become a memory to the people in Union County? Could the flies carry diseases and harm other livestock? Are the people of Union County willing to jeopardize their lives for the possibility of gaining a maximum of 75 low paying jobs?
Is this the type job creation Stivers would bring to central Ohio......low paying, environmentally dangerous, unhealthy??? If you need a reminder, here is a picture of the Buckeye Egg Farm.
