Statement from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is working at the former Muncie Sow facility to assess the impacts from manure that was released from a lagoon on Sunday.

Muncie Sow was formerly a Confined Feeding Operation (CFO) and is located north of Muncie, Indiana.  It has been closed for several years.   The business was shut down after being prosecuted for environmental crimes.  IDEM had been working with the current property owners to remove manure from the lagoon.  However, they recently took action through the court to address immediate needs at the site.  Therefore, an IDEM contractor had been working at the site to pump and transport manure from the lagoon. 

IDEM investigators have found that the breach of the lagoon may have been caused by an intentional act. IDEM took quick action to prevent further discharge and the breach was repaired on Sunday.

"This apparently deliberate act is extremely unfortunate, and IDEM is actively investigating the cause of the damage to the lagoon wall.  We support IDEM as they take necessary measures to enforce the law and rid our state of bad actors," said Anne Hazlett, ISDA Director.

"Indiana livestock producers  take great pride in their environmental stewardship . . They comply with stringent federal and state environmental regulations, in addition to many voluntary practices to protect our environment.  This incident in no way reflects the vast majority of our state's livestock producers who are deeply committed to protecting our environment." 

ISDA supports IDEM's intention to legally pursue clean up costs from the current owner, said Hazlett.