Governor right to defend family farm

Gov. Martin O'Malley joins a long list of political and agricultural leaders across the state who have voiced concern over the University of Maryland Environmental Law Clinic and the Waterkeeper Alliance's litigation against Alan and Kristin Hudson of Berlin who raise chickens on their Worcester County farm ("O'Malley criticizes UMB for lawsuit," Nov. 18).

The governor is correct in pointing out this unfair attack on a family farm represents an "ongoing injustice" and that the environmental law clinic and the Waterkeepers are pursuing "costly litigation of questionable merit." These groups are using litigation as a tactic to put financial and legal pressure on the Hudsons in order to drive them out of business before facts can be presented in the court of law.

The National Chicken Council and our processor member companies that account for over 95 percent of U.S. chicken production have stood solidly together with other groups and individuals, including Governor O'Malley, lawmakers in both the House of Delegates and Senate and the Maryland Farm Bureau to work to correct this tremendous injustice.

I urge readers to visit the Save Farm Families web site, http://savefarmfamilies.org/, to get the facts and help support Maryland's family farmers from the dire threat posed by environmental activists who sue first and ask questions later.

Mike Brown, Washington, DC

The writer is president of the National Chicken Council.