By: Maria Payan, as told to the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.
Covered in this story:
The Growth of CAFOs
Image by Terry Chea/AP.
Where small chicken farms once operated on the Eastern Shore, large-scale concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have taken over; by 2024, Maryland had 494 CAFOs. Maryland raises nearly 300 million broiler chickens annually, with most production concentrated in Worcester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Caroline counties. Those chickens generate approximately 550,000 tons of poultry litter (manure, bedding, and feathers) per year. That’s equivalent to:
- 1.1 billion pounds of poultry waste per year
- Roughly 3 million pounds per day
A 2023 assessment by the University of Maryland found that poultry operations dominate Maryland’s CAFO sector, with most CAFOs located on the Eastern Shore. While cattle produce more total manure by weight statewide, Eastern Shore nutrient pollution is driven largely by poultry operations because poultry litter contains higher concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus.
Even though land application of this waste is regulated, nutrient overload still occurs, contributing to phosphorus runoff into the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the presence of nitrates in drinking water. CAFOs also emit volatile organic compounds, ammonia, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, and heavy metals into the atmosphere. People living near CAFOs are at greater risk of developing respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and bronchitis.
CAFO Proposal over Paleo Channel Aquifer
Wicomico County, a low-income county with one of the highest percentages of Black residents on the Eastern Shore, has an exceptionally high concentration of CAFOs. One in four children is diagnosed with asthma, and the area has one of the worst respiratory rates in the state. Despite being overburdened with existing pollution, residents continually face permit requests for additional polluting facilities in their neighborhoods.
In 2015, residents learned about a proposal for a massive poultry CAFO in Wicomico County over the Paleo Channel aquifer and in the middle of majority Black neighborhoods. In response, residents formed the Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs (CCAIC) to oppose the siting.
Image by Kathlyn Phillips (March 23, 2016) https://whatswithwicomico.weebly.com/13-industrial-poultry-houses-in-my-neighborhood-no-way.html
“Sign placed near the site by CCAIC.” Image by Steven S. Shores (March 18, 2016). https://whatswithwicomico.weebly.com/13-industrial-poultry-houses-in-my-neighborhood-no-way.html
“I’m here as a voice for the thousands of cries that have fallen on the deaf ears of our locally elected officials,” testified Monica Brooks, co-founder of CCAIC. “Why so much opposition, I ask, to regulating polluters? Is industry more important than people?”
Due in part to the CCAIC’s consistent advocacy, in 2016, Wicomico County implemented a series of regulations that require poultry houses to be placed farther away from residents. Two years later, the property owners called off the proposed CAFO and sold the land.
Waste Facility Expansion
It’s not just poultry farms and CAFOs that are causing harm; Wicomico County also must contend with the impact of industrial waste facilities. Biorefinery plants, intended to find alternative ways to manage animal waste, have been linked to increased air and water pollution and pose significant health risks to nearby residents.
In 2015 and 2020, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) awarded over $3 million in grants from their Waste Technology Fund to a biorefinery project in Wicomico County. This project was proposed as a way to convert hundreds of tons of chicken litter per year into bio-oil (a fuel additive), bio-char (used in compost), and synthetic gas (used as a heat source).
The developer’s original lease expired and the landlord decided not to move forward with the project. MDA and MDE approved a request from the developer to move the project to a new location—one zoned for agricultural, not industrial, use.
However, the biorefinery developer failed to inform nearby residents about the project and its potential impacts. The developer was only granted a permit to construct a farm storage pole barn, not an industrial biorefinery that it was constructing, which is not allowed to be permitted in agricultural zones. Maria’s concerns are rooted in both the lack of transparency and the inappropriate land use.
When community members found out, they quickly organized to voice their concerns. Groups including CCAIC reported the facility to the County Council, sparking an inspection that found the site was out of compliance with its permit and the county zoning ordinance. The County issued a stop work order, halting the project.
The developer quickly appealed the decision, which was denied during a hearing that included passionate testimony from local residents. The Appeals Board’s actions upheld the stop work order and prohibited the construction of an industrial biorefinery on agricultural land.
As CAFO and waste facility expansions continue, it is residents who are left to fight for basic protections. Families continue to lose members to asthma attacks, adverse birth outcomes, respiratory conditions, and cancer, which they believe are connected to the presence of CAFOs. Without stronger policies centered on community health and environmental safety, the burden remains on those most impacted to hold polluters accountable.