Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, who is a candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, said that he is open to implementing a moratorium on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Wisconsin. While this would not eliminate CAFOs in the state, it would create a cap and prevent the construction of new ones.
Barnes called on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to “…make sure that wherever large factory farms are being proposed that there is a vey real in-depth discussion with the community about what the environmental impact will be.” He also claimed that CAFOs are unpopular in the communities in which they are located.
Limits on factory farms are gaining momentum in some national Democratic circles. For example, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who endorsed Barnes in January, introduced a bill that explicitly calls for a moratorium on CAFOs last year.
