Regeneration Vermont hit the ground running in the New Year.
Our research and advocacy work led to the Vermont Attorney General filing a lawsuit against the state’s largest confinement dairy operation. The enforcement action alleges that in 2017, Amanda and Mark St. Pierre expanded a barn and built a new 10 million gallon manure pit without telling the state. You read that right, 10 million gallons!
The symbolism of where the attorney general announced this lawsuit cannot be overlooked: in broad daylight on the courthouse steps in Franklin County—the heart of Big Dairy country.
Check out these news stories about the lawsuit:
- “Vermont sues state’s largest dairy over permit violations” (Seven Days)
- “Vermont sues Berkshire farmers over unpermitted expansion” (ABC)
- “Vermont sues dairy farm over allegations of unpermitted expansion” (VPR)
For years, citizens who live near the toxic mess that define these “farms” have been crying out for help and demanding action. For years, they have been dismissed, even denigrated. It has been Regeneration Vermont’s honor to work side-by-side with them, giving tours to show the damage, speaking out at public meetings, targeting the corporations profiting from this mess—Ben & Jerry’s and Cabot—and digging, documenting, and exposing the damage.
One of those citizens was Rob Hemond, of Lake Carmi, who died two years ago (pictured). He was the first one to point out to us that there was illegal construction happening at Lumbra Farm. Then, there’s Rob Cormier of the Franklin Watershed Committee, who was at the attorney general’s press conference and is pushing for “enablers” in state government to also be punished.
Without these citizen advocates and Regeneration Vermont, it’s clear that none of this would have come to light.
That’s too few people questioning the loyalty of the Agency of Agriculture, cheerleading for the dairy industry and shirking its responsibility to protect our environment.
This action is one small step forward, but it’s a step in the right direction and validates the concerns that citizens have had for years. And sends the message that our state needs to be doing its job when it comes to enforcing the laws that protect our rivers, our lakes, and our food.
We know there are dozens of stories like this happening throughout Vermont and it’s our mission to help tell them. Stay tuned!
– M. Colby
When we launched Regeneration Vermont, we knew that we had to reimagine, well, everything—from the nature of activism to the nature of agriculture. Our communities, our water, our soil, and our planet demand it of us. Our work is needed now, more than ever to shine a light on what’s happening downstream of Vermont’s factory farms. Consider making a donation to help us continue this important work in 2020 and beyond.
