Pork plant protestors plague Prestage at city hall platform (photos)

MASON CITY – A couple of dozen pork plant protestors made their way to city Hall in Mason City Monday morning.

As the Mason City council considers the final reading on May 3 for a proposed development agreement with Prestage Foods to build a sprawling pork processing plant on the city’s south side, protestors staged a small rally outside the main doors to city hall Monday morning. The priest began around 8 AM and was wrapping up by 10 AM.

Some of the protesters could be heard yelling “SLOW DOWN” to people driving by.  The urged people to “Call your city council” and urge them to “vote no” on the pork plant or at least to slow down the process of confirming the economic incentive deal with Prestage Foods.

One of the most vocal and animated persons against the plant, Tom Willett of rural Clear Lake, brought his dogs to the protest. These are apparently the same dogs he speaks of when he raises fears of “flies eating the ears off your dogs” if the pork plant is built. He has spoken over and over about the supposed “CAFOs” (confined animal feeding operations) that will follow the hog plant once it’s in operation and the impact on his dogs at his rural homestead.

Phyllis Willis of Fertile also was on the scene.  She raises free-range hogs and is very much against the “corporate” hog processing industry.

This city council will consider on May 3 the final vote for a multi-million dollar economic incentive package for Prestage Foods to build a plant in southern Mason City worth over $200 million.  Prestige would be the largest taxpayer in the city – even with the 10 years of tax breaks the city os offering.  However, city taxpayers are on the hook for tens-of-millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements so the plant can operate at full capacity, eventually, which would be 20,000 pigs slaughtered 6 days a week.