The Underregulated Underbelly of Factory Farms

Equity In Every Drop - A Waterkeeper Alliance Podcast

In this episode of Equity In Every Drop, host Thomas Hynes speaks with Kelly Hunter Foster, Senior Attorney at Waterkeeper Alliance and a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Animal Agriculture and Water Quality subcommittee. Kelly offers an in-depth look at the regulatory challenges surrounding concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), exposing industry loopholes and the inadequacies of current federal and state permits. She explains how underregulation and lack of enforcement enable widespread water pollution and pose serious public health risks, particularly for vulnerable communities near these facilities.

Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper from Toledo, Ohio, provides an on-the-ground perspective by sharing the devastating local impacts of CAFOs on Lake Erie. She details the rise of harmful algal blooms and the political and economic obstacles affected communities face.

Both guests emphasize the urgent need for more robust regulatory measures and call on large agribusinesses to take responsibility for their environmental impact. This episode highlights the human and ecological costs of industrial agriculture’s water pollution while underscoring the critical need for public awareness and action.