Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
( CAFOs )
A Guide to US Regulation
A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is formally
defined under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES):
A facility is an animal feeding operation (AFO) if animals are stabled/confined, or fed/maintained, for 45 days or more within any 12-month period, and the facility does not produce any crops, vegetation or forage growth. A CAFO is an AFO which:
• Has more than 1,000 animal units (AU), or
• Has 301 to 1,000 AU and wastes are discharged through man-made conveyance or directly into US waters, or
• Is designated a CAFO by the permitting authority on a case-by-case basis. 1
The primary environmental concerns at CAFOs arise from the generation of large amounts of animal waste and as a result of the large scale of operations. In general, animal waste is collected and stored in lagoons. The concentration of the waste and the lack of treatment typically results in powerful odors and air pollution. The large scale of operations often result in particulate emissions from feed and waste. In addition, the storage of animal waste in lagoons has resulted in both groundwater and surface water pollution. It is worth noting that many organizations and individuals have raised additional environmental issues related to the depletion of natural resources caused by the operations at CAFOs. However, the purpose of this website is to provide a basic guide to regulations that are currently applicable to CAFOs . Information about CAFOs and the environmental concerns resulting from their operation are described in more detail in the links below:
EPA: Office of Water Management (OWM) , National Agriculture Compliance Assistance Center (Ag Center)
Various Articles: AFO Overview and Literature Review , The Cost of Industrialized Agriculture , Air Overview
Sierra Club Factsheets: General , Air , Water
American Meat Institute (AMI): Environmental Page
National Pork Producers Council (NPPC): Environmental Page (very useful site)
As with most pollutants, regulations exist on three tiers,
including federal, state, and local regulations. Therefore, the
guide will be presented through these three tiers.
An additional guide will provide links
to issues that are currently not expressed through regulations.
This webpage was developed for a course in Environmental Economics (Econ 8535) offerred at the University of Colorado. I invite any comments or suggestions to joshua.sidon@colorado.edu .