Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced the charges Thursday against the Berkshire-based Pleasant Valley Farms for work at its Lumbra Farm in Enosburg Falls.
The dairy, owned by Mark and Amanda St. Pierre, has more than 5,000 cows at several properties in Franklin County. The farms are located in the Missisquoi River Basin, which drains into Missisquoi Bay, one of the most polluted sections of Lake Champlain.
“We have a long and proud tradition of farming, agriculture and environmental stewardship in Vermont,” Donovan said in a statement. “We need to continue to support our farmers while also protecting water quality and the environment by applying these rules across the board.”
The state alleges the St. Pierres expanded a dairy barn from 13,000 square feet to 104,000 square feet and built a 10-million-gallon manure pit — enough for 1,500 cows — all without permits from the state.
The state also alleges a 2018 inspection found the dairy did not have a required nutrient management plan, which helps ensure agricultural pollution does not foul waterways.
The lawsuit asks a Franklin County Superior Court to require the farm to obtain a special permit for dairies with more than 700 cows, known as a “large farming operation.” Larger dairies are subject to more strict environmental regulations. The suit also asked the farm to be fined for past and ongoing violations. The suit states violators can face fines of $42,500 per day.
Neither Mark nor Amanda St. Pierre immediately returned a call for comment Thursday.
The decision was cheered by Michael Colby, president of Regeneration Vermont, which advocates for more sustainable agriculture practices. In 2017, he documented the work underway at Lumbra Farm and brought it to state officials, who said they had been unaware of the projects.
“This is a huge, huge victory for citizen activists,” Colby said. “It’s fabulous to see the state stepping up and taking action.”
Read the full complaint below:
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
I want to support Vermont dairy farmers but these seem like egregious violations. They were clearly building massive facilities out of permit and willful ignoring the law. This wasn’t even close to being in code, it could not have been an accident. Dairy Farms can’t just do whatever they want, I get that it is a struggling industry but this clearly has been having an effect of the Lake and cannot be tolerated.
Apply for permits and you have to deal with activists, activist organization lawyers and an unhelpful yet expensive partner in the State of Vermont.
Doing it without a permit and asking for forgiveness will almost always result in less financial cost from Vermont’s permissive courts, less time for project completion and less headache from the activist do-gooders.
Given the vagaries of Vermont, I can’t say I blame them.
TJ still sucks.
I wonder if those that disliked Jimmy’s comments are in the shoot the messenger camp . Even if you disagree with his descriptions of the players involved , his points are bang on . As are Wheaton’s .
I’m supporting the farmer here. Vermont’s permits, especially Agriculture are a mess. Half the time the State doesn’t even knows what the applicant needs! ~Born in VT