Springfield, IL - A bill giving county governments the right to veto new large-scale hog farms passed an Illinois House committee, despite complaints that the political process was rigged.
The House's Livestock Management Committee recommended the measure, which would create the veto power for local governments, impose a one-year moratorium on new "mega-hog" farms and commission the University of Illinois to study the issue.
Rebublican critics of the proposal say the committee was specially created by House Speaker Michael Madigan to force the bill through the legislature.
Madigan supports the measure as a way of appeasing environmental activists and rural residents who object to the large-scale hog lots. He hopes having Democratic lawmakers on their side will lead to electoral gains in November.
State Rep. Rich Myers, R-Colchester, sides with agricultural industry, which opposes the measure. He said, "let's get away from the politics of the issue."
And state Rep. Rick Winkel, R-Champaign, expressed concerns about the possibility of "endless litigation" that could result from the bill.
The House committee hearing was filled with more than 200 people, many of whom were pleased with the panel's recommendation.
Donna Buss, a Henderson County resident, said a large hog farm built near her home in western Illinois has made her life miserable. She said, "We're smelling feces and excrement and it's not funny."
But Illinois Pork Producers Association President Rick Dean said the measure could hurt both large corporate farms and small family farms, where a father might want to bring his son or daughter into the business.
Dean argued county governments are not equipped to make the decisions about hog farm siting. He said giving counties the option to veto a hog farm would create "political hot potatoes."
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