California Water Quality Control Board Finds Numerous Environmental Violations at San Diego Egg Factory Farm

In response to a legal petition filed by The Humane Society of the United States, the San Diego Regional Water Board recently issued a ruling that Armstrong Farms, a major egg factory farm in San Diego County, has repeatedly violated state environmental laws by discharging manure-tainted wastewater into California waters.

"This ruling confirms what we knew all along – that this egg factory farm routinely dumps waste onto neighbors' property and into the state's waterways," said Jonathan Lovvorn, vice president & chief counsel for animal protection litigation & research at The HSUS. "Thanks to the overwhelming majority of California voters who just passed Proposition 2, intensive operations like this will soon be changing their practices. Animal welfare, public health, and the environment will all improve as a result."

The Board's ruling could subject Armstrong Farms to enforcement action including clean-up requirements, $1,000-per-day fines, and possible criminal prosecution. This enforcement comes after voters resoundingly passed Proposition 2, an anti-cruelty measure that prohibits the most abusive factory farming practices in California and ensures modest welfare standards for farm animals by allowing them to turn around and stretch their limbs. Armstrong Farms donated more than $64,000 to the campaign to defeat Prop 2, and Ryan Armstrong, who co-owns and operates the facility, was one of the only spokespersons for the agribusiness-led opposition to Prop 2.

The violations listed in the Notice include possible violations of the federal Clean Water Act, illegally flooding neighboring properties with contaminated water, and illegally discharging contaminated water into California waters and stormwater systems. This finding will likely trigger additional federal legal proceedings against Armstrong Farms.

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