Concerned Citizens of Hardy County

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The Concerned Citizens of Hardy County are concerned that out-of-state, well-funded interest groups continue attempts to manipulate local ordinances and zoning to further their radical agendas.

The Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP) continues to influence Hardy County planning processes from behind the scenes in an attempt to damage the county’s poultry industry, which is the county’s top job creator and West Virginia’s most successful agricultural sector.

While SRAP claims to advocate against poultry complexes for their impacts on the environment and health of residents, the Concerned Citizens of Hardy County see the writing on the wall — SRAP is working to stop poultry facilities across the nation.

SRAP Background

  • SRAP is an out-of-state organization headquartered in Oregon.
  • According to their 2022 annual report, SRAP reported millions of dollars in spending.
  • SRAP’s 2022 annual report states that they have worked in 28 different states.

Agenda Against Poultry

Across the country, SRAP has a long-standing opposition towards the poultry industry and has used local issues in other communities as tools to further its anti-poultry agenda.

Ties to Other Extreme Activist Groups

  • Sierra Club
  • Animal Legal Defense Fund
  • ASPCA

SRAP in Hardy County

SRAP has been operating in Hardy County since at least 2020. The Concerned Citizens of Old Fields Facebook page is administered by Maria Payan, a senior regional representative employed by SRAP.

SRAP’s efforts in Hardy County include the following:

  • In an article published by Civil Eats, the Facebook page organizers publicly acknowledged working with SRAP and “began attending Hardy County Commission meetings and enlisted outside experts to help articulate their objections.”
  • SRAP helped the group commission its own assessment of the poultry houses in Hardy County through  Michigan-based Grobbel Environmental & Planning Associates for the assessment, which submitted a 30-page report to the Hardy County Planning Office.
  • SRAP produced a video with SRAP employee Michael Payan about Hardy County.
  • SRAP continued efforts to influence the planning process during the construction of new poultry houses. These attempts include the following:
    • An attempted moratorium through the Hardy County Planning Commission.
    • Publicly spreading articles authored by SRAP Regional Representative Michal Diaz.

Hardy County’s Citizens find it disturbing that out-of-state interest groups are investing so much time and effort to harm our poultry growers and the jobs that support thousands of people in Hardy County for decades.