Arizona AG takes aim at foreign-owned farms that pump groundwater to feed cattle overseas
Amid Arizona’s worsening groundwater crisis, the state’s new attorney general is vowing to crack down on foreign-owned farms that lease land from the state with the benefit of unlimited water pumping. State officials recently revoked two new well-drilling permits for a Saudi Arabian agriculture company that uses Arizona groundwater to grow alfalfa to feed dairy cows overseas, and state Attorney General Kris Mayes told CNN she believes more action should be taken to curb the farm’s water pumping. … Arizona’s State Land Department leases thousands of acres to Fondomonte Arizona LLC, CNN has previously reported – a farming operation owned by Middle East dairy giant Almarai Company.