Presentacién de Amicus Curiae en relacién con la Revisién del Incidente de Suspensién atraida por la Facultad de Atraccién 647/2019

The document provides technical and legal arguments to support the suspension of the Granja Porcícola Homun, a large-scale swine operation in the Yucatan Peninsula. It asserts that such 'mega-farms' pose severe risks to water quality, air quality, and public health, specifically through the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The authors argue that under the precautionary principle and international law, the burden of proof should shift to the state and operator to prove the absence of danger, rather than requiring affected citizens—including indigenous Maya children—to prove certain harm before preventative measures are taken.

• The Granja Porcícola Homun is classified as a 'mega-farm' that threatens to cause grave and irreversible damage, including air pollution, harmful odors, and degradation of water quality.
• Mega-farms facilitate the evolution and spread of dangerous pathogens and increase human exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
• The Yucatan Peninsula's karst landscape, characterized by limestone bedrock and cenotes, makes groundwater exceptionally vulnerable to the rapid filtration of contaminants from mega-farm waste.
• A 2019 study by Greenpeace and the Autonomous University of Campeche found levels of ammonium, nitrites, and nitrates in drinking water wells and a cenote near Yucatan mega-farms that exceeded Mexican recommended limits for human consumption.
• Atmospheric emissions from swine mega-farms, including hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, are linked to respiratory issues, asthma in children, and psychological distress such as depression and anxiety in neighboring communities.
• Swine waste management is a significant source of greenhouse gases; in the US in 2019, manure management accounted for 37% of methane and 10% of nitrous oxide emissions from overall manure management activities.
• The precautionary principle requires that when there is a risk of 'grave or irreversible damage,' judicial operators should flex procedural requirements and reverse the burden of proof, requiring the authority to prove the absence of danger.
• The suspension of Granja Porcícola Homun's operations was justified because the facility's waste treatment system was incomplete, lacking a wastewater lagoon and necessary irrigation piping.

APA

MARTINEZ, G. Z. (2021). Presentacién de Amicus Curiae en relacién con la Revisién del Incidente de Suspensién atraida por la Facultad de Atraccién 647/2019. Earthjustice. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/amicus_scjn_homun_5may_sefa_647_2019.pdf

Chicago

MARTINEZ, GUILLERMO ZUNIGA. Presentacién de Amicus Curiae en relacién con la Revisién del Incidente de Suspensién atraida por la Facultad de Atraccién 647/2019. Earthjustice, 2021. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/amicus_scjn_homun_5may_sefa_647_2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MARTINEZ |first1=GUILLERMO ZUNIGA |title=Presentacién de Amicus Curiae en relacién con la Revisién del Incidente de Suspensién atraida por la Facultad de Atraccién 647/2019 |publisher=Earthjustice |date=5 May 2021 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/amicus_scjn_homun_5may_sefa_647_2019.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{martinez2021presentacin, author = {MARTINEZ, GUILLERMO ZUNIGA}, title = {{Presentacién de Amicus Curiae en relacién con la Revisién del Incidente de Suspensién atraida por la Facultad de Atraccién 647/2019}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/amicus_scjn_homun_5may_sefa_647_2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }