The West River Dairy, owned by Riverview Dairy LLP, is proposing to more than double its size to 18,885 cattle. If approved, the expansion would make it the largest dairy in the state by far. The site in western Minnesota is located within the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. It would also expand Riverview’s presence in Minnesota, with 16 large-scale dairies accounting for nearly one-third of the state’s dairy herd.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is currently accepting comments on the proposed West River Dairy expansion. The dairy has submitted an Environmental Assessment Worksheet, which describes how the project will address potential environmental impacts to water and the climate.
In IATP’s comment to MPCA submitted on March 25, we call for a more rigorous Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to be completed before moving forward on this huge project. The enormous amount of manure produced at a site of this size should require more details on how water and sensitive ecosystems will be protected, including how expected climate-related weather events will affect the site. We urged the MPCA to consider how expected greenhouse gas emissions tied to the proposed expansion could hinder the state reaching its climate targets. We also expressed concern about how the proposal would impact the state’s dairy farmers, as larger dairies have flooded the market and pushed smaller and mid-sized dairies out of business. An EIS can more thoroughly examine these issues and is needed for a proposal of this size.
The Land Stewardship Project has more background on the proposed project. The deadline to submit comments is April 9.
Read our full comment here.
