Assateague Coastal Trust hosts virtual town hall Tuesday

DELMARVA – On Tuesday, the Assateague Coastal Trust and their partners held a virtual town hall allowing people in the community to raise concerns on the impact industrial livestock operations are having on public health.

Presentations were given by representatives of the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, the Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs, the Environmental Integrity Project and other groups.

These organizations claim that while large powerful companies are dictating how animals are raised and processed they bear no responsibility for the impact on public health and environmental degradation in our local communities.

So, they would like to see that change through potential regulatory and policy solutions.

“Let’s come up with a system of ag here on Delmarva that’s not just going to feed the world, but it’s actually going to feed and take care of the people here in the region,” said Kathy Phillips, executive director at the Assateague Coastal Trust.

In response to all of this, Mountaire Farms said in part: We’ve made two million pounds of chicken available for sale at deeply discounted prices through our truckload sale program where we partnered with churches and fire companies to make sure our community was fed first.

They continued to say: It’s a shame that Assateague Coastal Trust continues to spread misinformation and fear about an industry that does so much good right here at home.

Meanwhile, Perdue Farms said in part: In addition to the significant incremental safety measures we’ve implemented, we, too, have hosted our own virtual town-hall-style webinars to communicate with local community leaders such as healthcare professionals, elected officials, pastors, civic organizations, and more, in the areas where we have operations, for which we received overwhelmingly positive feedback.

For a recording of the town hall, click here.