Buys: Decisions Like CAFO Will Hurt WA Dairy

Last week, the Washington Department of Ecology released the final rules for the Confined Animal Feeding Operation permit process.  The rules concern many associated with the dairy industry, including state Representative Vincent Buys, the ranking Republican on the House Ag and Natural Resources Committee.  He says when we see the state’s second largest agriculture production industry being threatened by rules from Olympia, he’s concerned.

“What we’re going to see is a lot of dairies are going to be leaving Washington state, and they are going to be moving to Idaho or Montana or these other states that welcome dairies, that welcome the industry to come over there.”

Buys adds these decisions like CAFO, don’t hurt just the operator.

“In my district, we’ve got a powered milk Darigold plant, as long as we’ve got enough dairies providing milk for them, that plant will stay in business, and that’s a lot of extra jobs.  But as soon as we lose the availability of dairy products that can run through that plant, it’s no longer profitable for them to keep that infrastructure in place.”

Once again, Vincent Buys, the ranking Republican on the House Ag and Natural Resources Committee.

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