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Home Rule Petition Presentation
As
Presented to the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen
Tuesday May 20, 2008
We have the right to demand standards on air quality, to breathe air free from
harmful gases and microscopic fecal material.
We have the right to use and enjoy our property and protect the value of that
property.
Tewksbury Odor members strive to obtain these basic property rights. Currently
State Laws do not protect us and the Agricultural Industry is not requiring
standards for swine operations, for all size operations, including small and
medium size.
Tewksbury, MA has three piggeries in town (*see note
below) and
Massachusetts State Law allows them all to expand to any size and there’s
nothing we can do about it. No public hearings available, no consideration
for the neighborhoods surrounding the farm, we have no rights!
We all need to become involved and take a proactive approach to this
problem.
State Laws
Many communities across the United States, have a “right to farm Law” or
similar law, which provides the basic right to farm. Farming is an important
part of feeding our nations citizens. That said why can’t there be State
Laws that give residents, neighboring swine operations, their basic rights?
The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. We can value farming and value
citizens air quality and property rights.
* When the Home Rule Petition was first written there were
three farms with hogs in Tewksbury. At present there are two, one of which
is a factory style hog operation
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