Press release: Iowans Across the State Outraged by Big Ag Corporate Handout

Iowa Economic Development Authority Gives Millions of Dollars to Prestage Farms Despite Objections from Taxpayers

DES MOINES, IA. After hearing one hour of testimonies from Iowa taxpayers, the Iowa Economic Development Authority voted Thursday afternoon to give an incentive package of over $11.4 million to Prestage Farms, an out-of-state corporation and the nation’s fifth largest hog producer. These state funds, along with Wright County’s local match of over $12.8 million, will go toward a proposed 20,000 kill-per-day hog slaughterhouse in Wright County that will mean more factory farms, low-wage and high-injury jobs, and diminished quality of life for all Iowans.“I’m extremely disappointed in the IEDA’s decision today,” said Wright County resident Jeanine Reed, who lives near the proposed facility. “I’m already struggling with odor and flies at home because of all the factory farms surrounding me. It seems like the IEDA doesn’t care that this project is just going to keep bringing down quality of life in this area. How is that considered economic development?”Over 40 CCI members across the state attended the meeting in opposition to this corporate handout.“Why is the IEDA so eager to give away our money to Prestage? It doesn’t make any economic sense. Just look at all the hogs and corn we grow in this state. Isn’t that incentive enough?” said CCI member Rita Vanderheiden of Woolstock.“The IEDA never asked us what kind of economic development we want for Wright County, so that’s why we came here today,” said CCI member Kathy Schnell of Belmond. “But clearly, IEDA is only working for Big Ag – not ‘We the People.’ Slaughterhouses have the highest injury and turnover rate of any industry, and nearly 600 workers at this facility won’t even earn a living wage. That’s not the kind of economic development project we want for our community.”The local and state incentive package that Prestage will receive adds up to more than Branstad’s line-item veto for water quality funding in the 2014 legislative session. During this year’s legislative session, politicians again failed to come up with a plan to clean Iowa’s water.“Iowa has a water quality crisis because of Big Ag, yet we keep giving our hard-earned money to the very industry causing the pollution. Then, we’re expected to clean up the mess,” said CCI member Jim Yungclas of Grinnell. “Big Ag is robbing us.”Despite the outcome of the IEDA vote, Iowans across the state have vowed to continue fighting the factory farm industry to protect Iowa’s air and water. In the past two months, seven counties across the state have taken a stand against factory farm expansion in their county. This includes Allamakee, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Hardin, Webster, Johnson, and Greene counties.“We know that this slaughterhouse will bring more factory farms to Iowa, so that means our work is far from over. We can’t handle any more factory farms in our state. We need a moratorium,” said CCI member Matthew Peirce of Iowa City.Iowa’s more than 20 million hogs confined in thousands of factory farms produce nearly 22 billion gallons of toxic manure every year. There have been more than 800 documented manure spills since 1996 and Iowa currently has more than 725 polluted waterways. Water data collected from Iowa’s 2014 list of impaired waterways shows manure as a leading cause of impaired waterways in Iowa lakes and rivers.Iowa CCI is a statewide, grassroots people’s action group that uses community organizing to win public policy that puts communities before corporations and people before profits, politics, and polluters.