LITTLE ROCK undefined Several non-profit environmental organization have filed suit against state and federal agencies asking the court to void $3.4 million in loan guarantees to C&H Hog Farms near Mt. Judea based on the impact the concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) could have on the Buffalo National River.
The lawsuit was filed by the Buffalo River Water Shed Alliance, the Arkansas Canoe Club, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Ozark Society and names defendants as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal and state Small Business Administration, the federal and state Farm Service Agency and directors of each entity.
Environmental groups were taken by surprise when C&H opened earlier this year and they hadn’t been informed. They immediately began protests and they have been ongoing since.
Buffalo National River officials contacted the Farm Service Agency in February stating that the agency’s environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) were “very weak from an environmental point of view.”
C&H is located near Mt. Judea, not far from Big Creek, a tributary of the Buffalo. Manure produced from the CAFO will be spread on more than 600 nearby acres, some directly adjacent to Big Creek.
The lawsuit says the National Park Service should have been consulted prior to approval of C&H’s permit to determine the impact on the river. It asks the court to order such consultation.
It asks that the Farm Service Agency’s EA and FONSI be deemed unlawful, and that loan guarantees to C&H from the defendants be enjoined
The suit asks that the matter be remanded to defendants for an environmental review to ensure no jeopardy to species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
It also asks that plaintiffs be awarded attorneys’ fee and other costs rising from the litigation in fighting the 6,500-hog CAFO.
The farm is owned by cousins Richard and Phillip Campbell and Jason Henson.
Henson told the Daily Times in April that the farm will hold 2,500 breeding sows and the piglets they produce will be taken to out of state facility when a few weeks old to be finished to adult weight and ultimate slaughter for meat.
The suit was filed Tuesday in the Eastern District of Arkansas, Western Division.