Controversy over concentrated animal feeding operations hasn't diminished since the General Assembly adjourned last year, so State Sen. Allen Paul has again introduced a bill that would impose a three-year moratorium on new CAFOs in Indiana.

Paul, R-Richmond, said the largest livestock farms remain one of the biggest issues in eastern Indiana.

"We discussed the issue last year, but this is one of the state's biggest challenges," Paul said. "It's a highly emotional issue. Once the land is gone, it's gone. If we had a moratorium for three years and really worked on this at the state and local level, we could address some of the legitimate issues."

Many Indiana counties are struggling with CAFO regulations. On Monday, the Randolph County commissioners imposed their own moratorium on new CAFOs until studies on seven topics are done, after rejecting a zoning ordinance that would have made 75 percent of the county's land eligible for large livestock factories.

Last Thursday, Delaware County had a packed zoning meeting on a proposed ordinance regulating CAFOs.

Richmond resident and Randolph County land owner Barbara Sha Cox, who has spent the last three years battling CAFO expansion, supports the proposed three-year moratorium.

Several Indiana counties have imposed brief moratoriums on the largest livestock operations until new rules could be written to regulate them, Cox said.

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