The National Chicken Council has contributed $5,000 to SaveFarmFamilies.org., which is assisting Alan and Kristin Hudson of Berlin, Maryland to raise funds for their legal defense in their ongoing legal battle with the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance.
Agricultural leaders across the state of Maryland have voiced their concern over the Waterkeepers’ litigation against the Hudsons because it represents an unfair attack on a family farm and sets a dangerous precedent for environmental litigation. The Waterkeepers’ litigation has caused burdensome legal bills, stress-related medical bills, and hindered the Hudson’s ability to secure credit to operate their farm in an attempt to drive them out of business before a judge renders a verdict in the case.
“National Chicken Council processor member companies that account for over 95 percent of U.S. chicken production stand solidly together with other groups and individuals to work to correct the tremendous injustice being pursued by the Waterkeeper Alliance,” said NCC President Mike Brown. “Poultry producers have a heavy burden to bear every day from market conditions and other economic challenge. Allowing the Alliance to add this type of totally unnecessary and very unfortunate weight to that daily burden is beyond a reasonable person’s comprehension.”
SaveFarmFamilies.org has also gained regional and national support from major agriculture groups, including MidAtlantic Farm Credit, Delaware Farm Bureau, Mountaire Farms, and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, indicating that the Waterkeepers’ lawsuit impacts groups well beyond just the Hudsons.
“I have been amazed at the number of donors we’ve had to the campaign,” said Lee Richardson, president of the Wicomico County, Maryland Farm Bureau and a SaveFarmFamilies.org member. “Donations large and small from all over the country have been pouring in; however, I am most impressed by the 950 individual donations we have received so far. I think this speaks volumes about both the support behind SaveFarmFamilies.org and the importance of our cause. The Waterkeepers have angered a community like I’ve never seen before.”
To learn more about sustaining and defending family farms, visit www.savefarmfamilies.org.
