[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 110 (Tuesday, June 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E907-E908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 FOWL MATTERS AND THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JAMIE RASKIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 27, 2017

  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect that I take the 
time to draw your attention to the important work of the Rachel Carson 
Council (RCC). Founded in 1965 and based in Bethesda, Maryland, the RCC 
honors the legacy and environmental ethic of Rachel Carson by linking 
environmental, health, and social policy solutions ``with the goal of 
building a more just, sustainable, and peaceful future.''
   The RCC recently released a comprehensive report, ``Fowl Matters,'' 
examining poultry production and its impact on public health and clean 
air and water. The report details the dramatic changes in the chicken 
industry over the past half-century, whereby the traditional practice 
of families raising chickens on small farms in open spaces for personal 
use has given way to modern-day Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations 
(CAFOs). As the RCC documents in its report, this new model has 
sweeping negative implications for the health and safety of people, 
animals, and the environment.
   The report raises serious concerns regarding the enforcement of 
existing regulations under the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act 
related to CAFOs. For instance, it notes that industrial agriculture is 
one of the largest contributors of nutrient and sediment pollution to 
the Chesapeake Bay watershed, resulting in algal blooms that block 
sunlight from underwater grasses and suck up oxygen that fish 
populations need to survive. On Maryland's Eastern shore alone, CAFOs 
produce as much sewage as do 9.8 million humans, most of which goes 
untreated, threatening human health, fishing, and the public's ability 
to enjoy this indispensable natural resource. Additionally, the large 
fans used by CAFOs to aerate confined waste can cause nearby residents 
to be exposed to air polluted by ammonia and other dangerous particles. 
Breathing in this polluted air can cause respiratory diseases, asthma, 
and lung cancer. The RCC report underlines these pollution concerns by 
highlighting that CAFOs are often located near vulnerable communities 
of lower socioeconomic status which tend to have fewer resources to 
engage in litigation asserting their environmental rights.
   The report also argues that conditions in CAFO facilities can 
endanger the health of

[[Page E908]]

workers. Over the course of 12-hour shifts standing in production lines 
with temperatures up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, workers breathe air 
contaminated by dust, ammonia, and feathers. These workers are 
vulnerable to all manner of health problems, including coughs, asthma, 
bronchitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, chemical burns, staph infections, 
and loss of limbs in dulled machinery.
   Mr. Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues to review the well-
researched and documented Fowl Matters report by visiting the RCC 
website, at www.rachelcarsoncouncil.org. We must keep these profound 
concerns in mind as we craft policies affecting the poultry industry 
and work to ensure strong enforcement of our environmental laws to 
protect the health and safety of communities nationwide.

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