SCOMO Upholds Grundy County CAFO Permit

The Missouri Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from several Grundy County residents challenging the permit issued to a hog farm near their homes. Hickory Neighbors challenged the permit issued by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to Trenton Farms, which had been upheld in December 2017 by the Clean Water Commission. The group alleged that the commission’s membership violated the Missouri Constitution, arguing that a house bill passed in 2016 that allowed up to four commissioners involved in agriculture violated the state constitution’s original purpose, single subject, and clear title requirements.

In their unanimous decision, the court ruled that while Hickory Neighbors had standing to challenge the legislation, its passage did not violate constitutional requirements. Justices also rejected Hickory Neighbors’ argument that DNR had not provided enough evidence, ruling that Trenton Farms’ manure containment structure was above the 100-year flood line.