AG files lawsuit against DeCoster Farms

The Iowa Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit in Lucas County Monday against a controversial large-scale hog producer known as DeCoster Farms. Bob Brammer is a spokesman for the Attorney General. He says the Attorney General alleges DeCoster Farms illegally let hog manure spill on several occasions at its facility near Derby. Brammer says there have been continual problems at the facility.The lawsuit seeks civil penalties and an injunction against the company.Brammer says the state is already considering other violations against Decoster that could make the company an “habitual violator.”That status could cause greater penalties for DeCoster and prevent the company from getting future permits for expansion. He says the latest lawsuit could count in the habitual violator status if it makes its way through the courts.