If passed, the new laws would make Oregon the first state in the United States to impose a mega-dairy moratorium. Attempts to regulate large-scale livestock operations across the U.S. have largely been unsuccessful. A legal victory in Oregon could become a milestone in the longstanding battle to regulate monopolistic and environmentally harmful agricultural practices. As van Saun tells Food Tank, “Policymakers need to stop further consolidation of the industry and use our antitrust laws to bust up monopolies in agriculture in general, and animal agriculture specifically.”

Newton remains optimistic about the coalition’s efforts, telling Food Tank, “Oregonians support transformative approaches to greenhouse gas reduction in alignment with our local small dairy farmers that ensure economically disadvantaged communities, communities of color, and Indigenous communities do not continue to disproportionately bear the burden of pollution and climate disruption from the dairy and industrial livestock sectors.”