The state environmental agency has cited a dairy farm near Asheville for allowing waste from cows to overflow, days after the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals accused the farm of mistreating its cows.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued a notice of violation to Osborne Farm in Haywood County.
“We saw animal waste ranging from four inches to three feet on this concrete pad in the free stall area. Typically that would be scraped daily, and sometimes twice a day,” says department spokeswoman Susan Massengale. “The waste just has not been managed properly.”
The violation describes overflowing waste, and Massengale says regulators, who visited the farm after a rain, spotted some running toward a nearby stream. The maximum fine for the violation is $25,000. The Department of Agriculture also investigated the farm’s dairy operation, and found no major violations.
The agencies investigated after receiving notification from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Friday. PETA captured video of what it says are mistreated, malnourished cows standing in their own feces.
Haywood County Animal Services did not say if they have investigated mistreatment, nor could the farm owner be reached for comment.
PETA had also said the farm supplies supermarket Harris Teeter with milk. The supermarket denies that, and the agriculture department says there is no evidence.
