Linn County, Oregon—Late yesterday, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced that it is issuing an individual water quality permit to J-S Ranch, a mega-chicken production facility capable of raising 3.5 million broiler chickens per year, to construct and operate its factory farm in the sensitive area of the Wiseman Island reach in the North Santiam River. The newly issued permit requires only minor improvements to the operation and minimal additional monitoring, failing to address most of the issues that brought farmers and community members to court.

Once constructed, J-S Ranch will collect, store, and export massive quantities of livestock waste—approximately 4,500 tons of manure-laced chicken litter a year—while blowing ammonia and dust from the chicken litter out of its barns located just 1/4 of a mile from the river. Despite the strenuous objections of community members and concerns of surface and ground water pollution from the proposed facility, ODA issued only a general groundwater quality permit for the mega chicken factory in May 2022. Two years later, ODA voluntarily withdrew the permit for reconsideration on the eve of trial in litigation brought by community farmer and environmental groups, including Farmers Against Foster Farms, Friends of Family Farmers, Willamette River Keeper, and farmer and neighbor Christina Eastman. The plaintiffs were represented jointly by the Center for Food Safety and Sugarman Dahab law firm.

"Once again, ODA chooses to ignore family farmers and put corporate profits ahead of community and environmental health." said Amy van Saun, senior attorney with Center for Food Safety. "ODA's decision today demonstrates that factory farms won't be held accountable for their pollution. We will go back to court to hold ODA accountable to our federal and state laws. CFS will continue to represent family farms and communities around the country in the fight for their rights to clean water and a healthy environment."

"This is a terrible location for 3.4 million chickens. Clearly the ODA neglected to consider the compelling information that local farmers and rural residents submitted outlining how an operation of this scale will harm the North Santiam River and threaten local wells. We remain steadfast in our commitment to stopping JS and looking forward to returning to Court." said Kendra Kimbirauskas, Scio farmer and co-founder of Friends of Family Farmers.