Farming, Pollution, and Animal Cruelty in Perdue, Hudson Farm, and Waterkeeper Alliance Case

This past week the Waterkeeper Alliance Inc vs. Alan and Kristin Hudson Farm and Perdue Farms Inc trial continued in the Baltimore District Court. Farmers, environmentalists, and animal rights activists are closely watching due to the impact this case can have. As Tim Wheeler of The Baltimore Sun reports, farmers are concerned about a ruling that could threaten the way they do business and environmentalists want to hold large agribusinesses accountable for pollution. So the concern is if Judge Nickerson rules in favor of Waterkeeper Alliance, this ruling could change how farms dispose waste. Animal rights organization Mercy For Animals talked about how these chicken houses hold uncomfortably large amounts of animals. This case doesn't address the animal cruelty of big business farming, but it is a counterpoint to the romanticization of the family farm by the Perdue and the Hudsons lawyer.

Alan Hudson, the farmer and owner of the Berlin, Maryland farm, testified last week in court. He stated that at 19 he built those chicken houses in question. Now 37, he said those structures were "going to be my contribution to getting my foot in the door farming with [my family]". Wheeler summarizes the lawyers of Perdue and the Hudsons characterization of Waterkeeper Alliance as "uncaring campaigners" who are willing to trample a family farm for a water pollution campaign. I'm critical of this passionate argument due to the restrictions Perdue places on its farming contractors. In court they applaud the tradition of the family farm, but the fierce domination of big agribusiness have pushed small family farms into extinction. Furthermore, I question how well does Perdue treat their contrators. I'm not sure if you can completely assess their relationship through this court trial, but the faults of agribusinesses make me leery of their fondness for family farms.


This post is the 2nd installment on the Waterkeeper Alliance, Perdue, and Hudson Farm trial. To read the other parts click the links below:
Part 1:  Perdue and Eastern Shore Chicken Farm Trial Begins 
Part 2: Farming, Pollution, and Animal Cruelty in Perdue, Hudson Farm, and Waterkeeper Alliance Case
Part 3: Damaging, but Not Illegal Pollution in Perdue, Berlin Farm, and Waterkeeper Alliance Trial 

-Ashley