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The National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) is pleased to provide Understanding
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Their Impact on Communities to assist local boards of
health who have concerns about concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) or large industrial
animal farms in their communities. The Environmental Health Services Branch of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) encouraged
the development of this product and provided technical oversight and financial support. This publication
was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 5U38HM000512. Its contents are solely the
responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC.
The mission of NALBOH is to strengthen boards of health, enabling them to promote and protect the
health of their communities, through education, technical assistance, and advocacy. Boards of health
are responsible for fulfilling three public health core functions: assessment, policy development, and
assurance. For a health agency, this includes overseeing and ensuring that there are sufficient resources,
effective policies and procedures, partnerships with other organizations and agencies, and regular
evaluation of an agency’s services.
NALBOH is confident that Understanding Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Their Impact
on Communities will help local board of health members understand their role in developing ways to
mitigate potential problems associated with CAFOs. We trust that the information provided in this guide
will enable board of health members to develop and sustain monitoring programs, investigate developing
policy related to CAFOs, and create partnerships with other local and state agencies and officials to
improve the health and well-being of communities everywhere.
A special thanks to Jeffrey Neistadt (NALBOH’s Director – Education and Training), NALBOH’s
Environmental Health subcommittee, and any local board of health members and health department staff
who were contacted during the development of this document for their contributions and support. |
