The small town of Laketown, Wisconsin, tried to stop pollution from factory farms and then was sued by the very same factory farms.

Source: The Real News Network/YouTube

The small community in Wisconsin is home to just over 1,00 people and 18 lakes. They have been at the forefront of the battle on how communities can regulate large industrial farming operations happening right in their backyards.

A lawsuit supported by the state’s largest business lobbying group has now been filed against the town. The lawsuit claims that the town board overstepped its role when it passed a local ordinance to prevent Pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO), Grist reported.

After the town passed the local ordinance, they received a letter from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the lobbying group, that said they would seek legal action if the ordinance was not repealed.

“They see this ordinance, if not challenged, as something that may become more the norm around the state,” Adam Voskuil, staff attorney for the nonprofit law office Midwest Environmental Advocates, told Grist.

CAFOs are huge around the state of Wisconsin, and locals are beginning to see the effects. These operations have been linked to numerous public health issues.

According to Grist, Midwest Environmental Advocates attorney Voskuil said that he was ‘heartened’ to see Laketown holding its ground.

“This is one of the first times I’ve seen a town refuse to back down to some of these letters,” he said.

Factory farms are extremely unsustainable and harmful to our planet. They cause mass deforestation, account for 37 percent of global methane emissions, and use 70 percent of the world’s freshwater. Even though the animals are kept in inhumanely cramped spaces, it takes quite a bit of land to grow food to feed these animals, and thus, large swaths of forest are cleared to make room for livestock feed. Furthermore, the animals’ waste may be kept in large lagoons, which not only take up space but also pollute water and air. As a result, meat and other animal products, like dairy, are extremely harmful to the environment.

Plant-based foods generally have a much smaller environmental footprint than meat. One study found that a serving size of meat is responsible for 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions and 100 times more land use than a serving of veggies. According to the study, “Producing a serving of processed red meat has the second-highest mean impact on acidification, GHG emissions, and land use and the third-highest mean impact for eutrophication.” Another report found that people who eat meat daily produce 2.8 tons of carbon dioxide annually, as opposed to 1.5 tons for vegetarians and 1.1 tons for vegans.

Choosing to eat vegan and live a vegan lifestyle does not harm animals, is better for your health, and is better for the environment!

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