SALEM, Ore. — A judge in Linn County has ruled against a permit for a proposed chicken farm that would have housed more than three million chickens annually, a decision that has sparked relief among local residents and farmers concerned about environmental impacts.
The judgment, rendered on Tuesday, culminates a protracted battle initiated by a coalition known as Farmers Against Foster Farms. For nearly five years, this group has raised alarms regarding potential pollution risks posed by the farm to local drinking water and the nearby North Santiam River. The J-S Ranch proposal marks the final attempt in this series of contentious plans, following the abandonment of two other large poultry operations that sought to raise over four million broilers for Foster Farms in the same vicinity.
Foster Farms, a significant player in the poultry industry on the West Coast, sells its products in major retail stores like Fred Meyer and Safeway. In 2022, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Quality granted J-S Ranch a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) permit, designed to mitigate the runoff of manure into water sources.
Shortly after, the coalition contested the permit in court, asserting concerns about excessive flooding at the proposed site and the resultant risk of contaminating the river. The project was projected to produce over 4,000 tons of chicken manure annually. Before the case progressed to trial in 2024, state officials withdrew the permit for “reconsideration,” only to reinstate it later that year with modifications.
However, advocates for environmental protection argued the revisions failed to comply with new regulations introduced by Senate Bill 85, which was enacted in 2023 to enhance water quality safeguards. During the recent court hearing, the Linn County judge sided with the coalition’s claims.
“The Oregon Department of Agriculture did not align the permit with current legislative standards,” noted Amy van Saun, the attorney representing the plaintiffs.
Residents like Christina Eastman, whose home borders the proposed farm, celebrated the ruling as a significant victory after years of community mobilization. “We had to rally our neighbors who are often preoccupied with their lives,” Eastman remarked. “It took a considerable effort to raise awareness, including putting up hundreds of signs about the situation.”
As uncertainty lingers over a possible state appeal, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Agriculture indicated that the agency is consulting with legal counsel to determine the next steps. The owner of J-S Ranch, Eric Simon, expressed his disappointment with Tuesday’s decision. Simon, who purchased the 60-acre property for $372,000 in 2021, claimed he had planned substantial investments in equipment and infrastructure, including the construction of 11 large barns.
He criticized the ruling as unjust, pointing out that his permit was granted before the new legislative changes took effect. Simon argued that his intention in acquiring the property was to compensate for the loss of barn space in Oregon as aging poultry growers retire and cease operations.
“The existing need for poultry space is not being met as older growers exit the market,” Simon explained. He acknowledged that pursuing any further CAFO applications would be improbable due to a newly instated one-mile setback requirement between large chicken facilities and neighboring properties. With the nearest property line to his site being half a mile away, Simon expressed skepticism about his ability to move forward.
The setback can only be waived if neighborhood support is established, a scenario Simon deemed unrealistic. “I won’t pursue building a chicken farm here in Linn County unless we find that support, which we know is not forthcoming,” he stated.
This ongoing debate reflects broader tensions between agricultural development and environmental protection in Oregon, as local communities strive to balance economic interests with the integrity of their natural resources.
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