A new report by the Environmental Integrity Project found that Maryland may be too lenient with chicken farms on the Eastern Shore that violate environmental regulations.
Maryland currently has 503 active poultry operations that raise a total of about 300 million chickens per year.
The operations produce more than 600 million pounds of chicken manure, which leads to runoff that pollutes the Chesapeake Bay.
The two agencies that oversee the poultry industry – the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) – are responsible for ensuring that farms comply with regulations set in place to manage chicken manure.
The report found that, despite the industry’s large environmental footprint, state oversight is too minimal and ineffective at protecting water quality.
Between 2017 and 2020, the report found, 182 Maryland poultry operations inspected by the state had one or more violations of state water pollution control permits.
But only 4% were fined by the state, and just 2% paid. And 43% failed a follow-up inspection.
More than half of the poultry farms whose records were available in 2019 admitted to over-applying chicken manure to their crops, violating state law.
However, none of the operations received a fine for the violation.
The lack of oversight leads to “unchecked pollution that threatens not only the Chesapeake Bay but also the health of farmers and other residents who live nearby,” the report states.
The Environmental Integrity Project is calling for state agencies to step up inspections and monitoring of poultry operations and strictly enforce penalties for violations.
The report also recommends that MDE hire more inspectors and revise its water pollution control permits.
Implementing the recommendations will help Maryland improve accountability for the Eastern Shore’s largest industry, protect the health of people in the region, and reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, the report says.
