Maryland Needs New Factory Farm Rules

In 2025, Governor Moore's administration is set to release new permitting guidelines for chicken factory farms — including rules for disposing of the enormous amount of concentrated chicken waste that is applied to Maryland’s agricultural fields.

This chicken waste pollution runoff poses serious risks to our water, threatening people's health and the environment. Recently, state officials warned that pollution runoff is a major reason the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed is declining. Our beaches may also be unsafe to swim in at times.

Maryland needs new rules to reform how state agencies are monitoring, tracking, and inspecting this chicken waste problem. Urge Governor Moore and state regulators to protect our environment and our health from factory farm pollution!

Your Message

Secretary

Serena

McIlwain

Maryland Department of Environment

Mr.

Bradley

Baker

Maryland Department of Environment

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I urge you to address ongoing issues related to the overwhelming amount of waste created by Maryland’s chicken factory farms. Please instruct the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) to initiate better monitoring, tracking, and inspection rules for industrial-scale Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) as part of the state’s new general water discharge permit guidelines.

In December 2024, governors from states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed identified the continued need to address pollution from non-point pollution sources like agriculture runoff. These new permitting guidelines offer the perfect opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in addressing the problems related to the ag runoff of land-applied chicken waste across the state. Industrial-scale farms generated 548 million pounds of poultry waste in 2022, the last time these figures were available.

MDE needs to update the Best Management Practices (BMPs) applicable to AFOs that land-apply waste or use industrial ventilation systems that spew pollutants into the environment. They should also require mandatory effluent monitoring and instruct AFOs to report monitoring data to a publicly available database. This step is crucial to correct the gross lack of transparency that has historically been an obstacle to holding the poultry companies, not the farmers, accountable. Finally, MDE should also act to control pollution stemming from the transfer of AFO waste to third parties that transport and dispose of that waste to ensure it’s being done correctly.

All of these changes are critical to protecting our communities and our environment. That’s why we urge you to enact newer, stronger guidelines as part of the AFO general water discharge permit in 2025!

Sincerely,
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{user_data~City}, {user_data~State} {user_data~Ghost Zip Code}

Sincerely,
[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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