Press release
At a joint Town Hall meeting called by State Rep. Lundy Kiger (R-Poteau) and State Sen. Mark Allen (R-Spiro) last Thursday night in Cameron, on behalf of residents living in and around the community, over 200 residents attended and voiced concerns for their families, property, health, roads and their local environment related to air and water quality.
People who heard the facts, agreed, and approximately 187 signed a petition that night to start working directly to challenge OK Foods to stop and shut down 56 large poultry houses from being completed.
Residents attending the Town Hall made it clear they support the poultry industry and OK Foods, but they do not support the development and concentration of 56 large poultry houses being built in such a small and concentrated area near the town.
“With the 56 houses discussed in Cameron, and a total of 112 of these large houses planned for the county and surrounding region, members of the community have asked for help, and we totally agree with their concerns,” Kiger said.
Currently, there are eight of these large poultry houses located on the northwest corner of Cameron near the school and the Choctaw Housing development. These eight poultry houses are approximately 54 feet wide and 550 feet long. Each house will hold between 33,000 and 40,000 chickens with batches that could be changed out several times per year.
Parents and people associated with Cameron Schools have confirmed the new eight existing poultry houses already emit a strong odor if the wind is blowing toward the town, making it difficult for kids and relatives when they play baseball or softball. When the Civic Center lost power during a graduation, people were forced to go outside. The parents reported the smell from these eight poultry houses was so strong, the odor was hard for people to take. The smell in Cameron for these residents is real!
One after another, those who made comments at the Town Hall said if only eight of the 56 houses planned are causing the town odor problems already, how much more difficult will it be on the people with an additional 48 of these large poultry houses that will enclose the entire community? The community of Cameron is directly in line with the prevailing winds that will blow over the city.
The awareness of the 56 poultry houses is also raising concern with others living in different parts of LeFlore County. If this can happen in Cameron, then it can happen near any other town or community in the county. With this being a real possibility, it’s caused nearly 1,500 LeFlore County people to sign the petition to kill the 56 poultry houses.
A group of over 130 living in the Cameron area wrote OK Foods a letter last month. The people clearly stated their many concerns on these 56 poultry houses being built in such a concentrated area and its effects on the people. Just over a week ago, a small number of this original group requested a meeting with OK Foods that was held in Poteau. At that meeting, OK Foods stated the concerns of the people were not warranted. Officials of OK Foods told the group the new poultry houses will not smell and they will not reduce current property values in the area.
Three of the new proposed farm owners attended the meeting to answer questions. Residents attending made it clear to the three that their intent was only to protect their families, property and the environment.
Kiger told the three new growers, “This is my second time to meet with you on your proposal. I have nothing personal against any of you, but due to the large concentration of these 48 proposed poultry homes, I will work to kill each of your projects!”
Additional meetings have followed since the Town Hall on Thursday. Even though OK Foods is within the law related to the new setback rules adopted by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, the rules don’t take into consideration a large number of poultry houses being developed so close to a town that will have negative effects on everyone and everything including the public school.
Kiger and Allen told a smaller group on Monday night that the state needs to study and show the total effects on the stream and ground water quality since one of the new sites proposed was completely under water when Allen toured the area with State Secretary of Energy and Environment Ken Wagner.
The additional questions discussed at the meeting included: Is there enough water in the county from Poteau Valley Improvement Authority (PVIA) via rural water districts to ensure that all homes and the public will not be affected related to supply and pressure?
How much dust with fecal matter will now go air born with the larger number of fans pulling air through the houses and into the atmosphere affecting those with existing breathing problems and air quality?
How much will property values fall, which will affect property sales and taxes to the public school?
How many people will move out of the community that will also reduce the average daily attendance of the public school?
Where are the large sums of cash coming from that the new growers are using in the development of their farms, as each house costs approximately $400,000 each? Moreover, how will these new large farms affect the small family farmers that operate in our county?
“Each of these questions needs to be answered before construction continues,” Kiger said.
Kiger said he and Sen. Allen have made it clear to OK Foods that all the people of Cameron are asking for is a reduction in the large concentration of so many houses. Now that OK Foods has stopped communicating, the group plans to work at killing all of the remaining 48 poultry houses, no matter where each farm may be in planning or construction.
Kiger sent this message to OK Foods. “You have no one to blame for this pushback but yourselves. You dropped the ball on these projects and misjudged the affects and the public’s reaction.”
Kiger went on to say, “We understand and agree that we support OK Foods and our growers in meeting all contract requirements and earning a profit, but not at the expense of our public. Senator Allen and I will do, and are doing everything possible and available to us as elected officials of this area, to stop and kill each of these remaining 48 houses.”
For county residents to keep up to date on the steps being taken in this effort and to sign the petition to Kill the 56, go to Facebook to Protect Our Homes and Save Our Neighborhood.
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