Fayette County family makes emotional plea for their daughter’s health

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A Fayette County family makes an emotional plea in a video released April 5 in a community campaign to raise awareness about their daughter’s health and industrial livestock operations in Ohio.

The video features commentary from the LeBeau family, who expresses their fears and concerns with a large hog facility a Clinton County businessman is planning to build near their home.

The Ohio Environmental Council, a non-profit advocacy group, published the video on its YouTube account. The video is called, “One family’s fears as unregulated hog farming comes to town.”

The LeBeau family has voiced strong opposition to the large hog facility since they learned of the plan last year. In statements made to the Record-Herald, Roger and Linda LeBeau expressed concern for their daughter, Amy J, and said they fear any air pollution from the facility will affect her because she relies on a breathing machine and suffers from muscular dystrophy.

In the OEC video, Roger LeBeau emphasizes the family’s fears and concerns.

“After initially finding out there was the possibility of a mega hog barn going in 3,400 feet from our home here which we have lived for over 45 years, raised two children, one daughter that’s 42, son that’s 45…our 42-year-old daughter has muscular dystrophy and for the last 16 years has a trach and a feeding tube,” said Roger. The air pollution from the hog operation could make her already impaired breathing more difficult, Roger said.

The LeBeau family lives on Jones Road in Fayette County, a rural area north of Washington Court House near Bloomingburg. Clinton County businessman and farmer John Surber owns and operates half a dozen non-permitted hog facilities in southern Ohio. In February he acquired land on Jones Road near the LeBeau family’s home with plans to build the non-permitted 2,400 hog facility.

Surber met with area residents in Fayette County last year at a trustee meeting, where he said all of his non-permitted hog facilities meet and exceed state standards for livestock care. Surber said the proposed hog facility on Jones Road poses no health risk to the families who live in the area.

The video is also a part of an industrial livestock awareness campaign by OEC to inform communities about the difference between permitted livestock facilities and non-permitted livestock facilities.

“Roger reached out to us and his story was important to tell. His struggle is both unique and similar to other families we’ve heard from in different parts of the state. We know this is part of a larger problem where thousands of industrial livestock operations lack adequate safeguards to protect people’s quality of life, their air, their water, or their property values,” said Adam Rissien, director of clean water at the OEC.

Watch the video by following the link in this article on www.recordherald.com or by visiting the Ohio Environmental Council’s website at http://www.theoec.org/campaign/industrial-livestock

The Ohio Environmental Council worked with the LeBeau family to make the video.
http://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2017/04/web1_OEClogo-2.jpgThe Ohio Environmental Council worked with the LeBeau family to make the video.

Photo: Above, a screenshot photo image of the LeBeau family in a YouTube video.
http://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2017/04/web1_LeBeauFamily1-2.jpgPhoto: Above, a screenshot photo image of the LeBeau family in a YouTube video.

By Ashley Bunton

[email protected]

Ashley may be reached by calling her at (740) 313-0355 or by searching Twitter for @ashbunton

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Video Caption: Video: One family’s fears as unregulated hog farming comes to town
Video Credit: Ohio Environmental Council
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