Comment from Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance on the Waterkeeper Lawsuit against Hudson Farm (Berlin, Worcester County)

ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 1, 2010) I agree with Governor Martin O‘Malley when he says that restoring the bay and keeping farming profitable are not mutually exclusive. They are goals that we all share as we work to strengthen our family farms and businesses and protect the health of the environment. 

I was pleased to learn this week that the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) water samples did not link the stored sludge at the Hudson Farm with bacteria found in the adjacent drainage ditch. According to MDE, possible sources could include wildlife, such as geese or other fowl, raccoons, deer, and/or farm operations.  The Hudsons quickly moved the stored sludge to another location on the farm per MDE‘s order and have covered it, which is not required by law at this time. 

Despite the Hudson’s corrective actions and MDE‘s findings that the treated sludge cannot be linked with bacteria in the ground or surface water, the family finds itself defending against a lawsuit and negative public opinion generated by the waterkeeper‘s accusations. The Hudsons are independent family farmers and are not employees of Perdue Farms. They contract with Perdue to raise the company’s chickens, like hundreds of others who raise birds for one of the four poultry companies operating on the Eastern Shore.  

By suing the Hudsons, the waterkeepers are threatening thousands of farm farmers, who are not much different than most working families across Maryland that are trying to make ends meet. As residents of the Bay watershed, we all contribute to the ills of the Bay and we must work together to clean it up.

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