This from the Kokomo Tribune:
PERU, IN – A study committee is considering whether to recommend changes to Miami County’s ordinance regulating large-scale animal farms after some residents expressed concerns about a new operation that will house over 4,600 pigs.
The Miami County Plan Commission last year formed the study committee following push-back on the construction of the hog barn near the intersection of 100 East and 500 North. According to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the facility has the capacity to store over 1.8 million gallons of manure and wastewater.
The county’s ordinance regulating confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) says farms must be built at least 1,000 feet away from the nearest residence and be located on at least 10 acres of land that are zoned as agriculture. Miami County currently has 54 CAFOs.
But some residents are asking for stricter guidelines that would deter more large-scale animal farms from coming to the county, while others said the county ordinance is fine as it is and asked the committee to leave it untouched.
The study committee is set to meet again on Feb. 4, when it will vote on whether to recommend changes to the county ordinance.
From there, the county plan commission would have to approve the recommendations. The Miami County Board of Commissioners would then make the final vote on whether to change the ordinance.