Editor:
Your editorial "Big Chicken and a Clean Bay" (12/12) erroneously blames chicken farmers for nutrient loading in the Chesapeake Bay.
It is true that under certain conditions: including the presence of ample nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen; sunlight; and slow water flow conditions, algae may flourish and reduce oxygen supplies for other water life. But the process of nutrient enrichment, called "eutrophication," is a natural one -- even without human contribution, it would occur.
Far less than 5 percent of the manmade loadings of phosphorus to U.S. waterways are from poultry waste. Manmade discharges of phosphorus to U.S. waterways, including from wastewater treatment plants, agricultural runoff and industrial discharges, have been estimated at about 12 billion pounds annually. The total amount of poultry waste is produced annually is only about 14 million tons, of which only an exceedingly small percentage is phosphorus. It's difficult to pin the blame for eutrophication on solely on poultry farms.
Moreover, to the extent Bay eutrophication has been an issue during the last several years, chicken farm runoff is probably even less responsible given the drought conditions in the Bay area.
The Post says that voluntary measures by the poultry industry aren't enough; the industry must embrace "official requirements." Until science shows that poultry farms are a significant contributor to Bay eutrophication, voluntary efforts seem to be more than adequate.
Steven Milloy
The Junk Science Home Page
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