HB 152, that was co-sponsored by Republican Steve Stivers in 2003, is creating a lot of anger in and around Union County Ohio. With the proposed mega-chicken farm that would be owned by Hi-Q Egg, residents are worried about the flies, contaminated wells, reduced property values, and health hazards. At this point, estimates are between 6,000,000 and 11,000,000 chickens to be housed in the Hi-Q Egg farm. Stivers, who is pro-big business, pushed for this type of big farm operation.
Stivers should have inserted some type of limit on the size of this type of farm in the bill he co-sponsored. However, just like Stivers left the enforcement section out of the camp employee background check legislation, Stivers did not take care of the details on this factory farm bill. Details. Details. Details. Allowing a farm of this size alongside family farms will definitely create some side effects.
Stivers is back pedaling now on his support for HB 152. He doesn't have to live next to the Hi-Q farm. He won't have to deal with the smell and the millions of flies. When this farm moves in, neighbors will see living and dead flies everywhere. Those flies will be a reminder of what Steve Stivers did for your community when he co-sponsored HB 152.