Modesto Says "Shut Down Tallow!"

On Friday, September 10th, close to 50 protestors on the south side of Modesto, outside of the Modesto Tallow Plant called it's closing. The Modesto Tallow plant, which according to the Modesto Bee, ('The Stench Lingers', June 12th), "Every month, Modesto Tallow collects, grinds and cooks more than 10,000 tons of dead cattle, chickens and turkeys, turning them into pet food and livestock feed."

"Over the past 10 years, Modesto Tallow violated air quality rules more often than any other company in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. The company's 124 violations include creating a public nuisance, malfunctioning equipment and failing to process carcasses within 24 hours, according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Modesto Tallow has been fined at least $1.4 million by various regulatory agencies over the years, about half of which has not been paid. Modesto Tallow refuses to pay at least $765,000 in air district fines dating back to 2002. Modesto Tallow owes $246,607 in taxes dating back to 2000 for its property at 925 Crows Landing Road, according to county records."

Dead animals are often left to rot in the Tallow yard, and in the last week, animal parts and guts were dropped in front of the nearby school, and Tallow refused to clean up the mess. Children in the nearby school have to suffer through the stench, day in and day out. "The stench affects daily learning for the 520 students who attend Shackelford each year. Principal John Campopiano said the odor makes some students queasy, which isn't good for concentration. With all the new testing standards coming down, we're working so hard every day," said Campopiano, pacing the playground — with Modesto Tallow looming in the distance. "This really puts our kids at a disadvantage. Nova Watkins, a yard worker at Shackelford who's lived in the area 36 years, said the smell is strong enough to overcome the toughest stomach." The school reports that students often throw up after lunch, and their test scores are also affected.The students come out from lunch, start smelling that stink, and it's just overwhelming. They start heaving up," she said."

The smell itself it horrible. Ever smelled a dead and rotting whale on a beach or dead large animal? There you go. Again, the Modesto Bee "The odor is especially bad at night and on weekends, when air district officials aren't readily available to investigate, one resident said. Podesto said atmospheric conditions could be a factor in late-night smells from the plant, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

The area around Modesto Tallow is largely poor, and largely latino. "Of the 2,000 mostly Latino residents of the neighborhood, roughly 35 percent live below the poverty level, according to the 2000 census. The neighborhood, a pocket of county land in urban Modesto, didn't have sewers and sidewalks and until two years ago." This is of course the opposite of the owner of the plant, a rich white male, who lives currentally in Texas. In response to the many complaints aimed at the plant, and also the massive amounts of fines aimed at the plant, the company has called in a new manager.

During the Firday protest, the manager went around and tried to talk with various people, stating that they were doing things to stop the stink. "It dosen't smell as bad today", he said, despite the fact that the air was rancid. The boss also stated that we could only smell the stink because we were partially standing on the company's land. This of course is a farce, as hundreds of drivers streaming past us were honking at our large signs which read, "Honk if it smells!". Latter the next day, I was driving towards Modesto, and could smell the plant as far away as Ripon, (about 20 miles away).

Everything about the Modesto Tallow plant it based on oppression and the unsustainability of capitalism. Animals on large farms and factory farms die everyday in various horrible conditions. Fast food restaurants, which also help to increase urban sprawl, further corporatization of public space, and an increase in non-union service industry jobs, also contribute to the Tallow plant's intake, but generating massive amounts of dirty oil. The dead animals and animal products then are taken to the plant, and often there are spills and carcasses are left to rot, (which is illegal). Then animals then are ground up to be used in various products and also for farm animal feed, (feeding animals to animals is the same kind of system that led to the growth of Mad Cow disease).

Racism is also a factor in the whole issue of the Tallow plant. It is hard to imagine that the Tallow Plant could be in operation in an area next to a school that is in a more weathly and white area, or in a part of town that is not poor and unrepresented. The fact that the Tallow Plant has been open for almost 90 years, and has been next to the Shackelford Elementary School since 1948, and not changed it's ways or shut down and moved, shows that the plant is more concered with profit than the people that live in the community around it.

It is up to those people around the plant to take up the struggle against the Tallow Plant, to protest, place complaints, and take action against Tallow. Shut down the plant now!