Dairy-farm foes seek say over maps of manure use

7/29/2006

Opponents of large-scale dairy farms in Wood and Sandusky counties joined together yesterday in an attempt to intervene in a lawsuit regarding the release of maps that show manure application sites for three proposed dairy farms.

Jeffrey Culver, attorney for Wood County Citizens Opposed to Factory Farms and Sandusky County Citizens Protecting our Resources, filed a motion in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Columbus to intervene in a suit filed by Naomi and Green dairies in Wood County and Hillbex Dairy in Sandusky County.

The dairies are appealing a decision by the Ohio Department of Agriculture to release maps that identify the property owners who would apply manure from the dairies if the dairies' operating permits are approved by the agriculture department.

The dairies claim the information is a trade secret.