FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Disturbing allegations were made Thursday afternoon against a local winery along Friant Road in Fresno County.
Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld joined the chairman of the board of the San Joaquin River Conservancy, Fresno City Council member Nick Richardson and Madera County supervisor Jordan Wamhoff to discuss a “cease and desist” order issued to Sumner Peck Ranch.
The business, which includes a place for the public to come and pick oranges, is accused of using human compost along the San Joaquin River.
That compost comes from a Washington-based company called “Earth Funerals.”
On its website, the company explains human composting is an environmentally-friendly alternative to burial and cremation.
It involves a 45-day process in which they say a body is transformed into nutrient-rich soil.
However, in a press conference this afternoon, Supervisor Bredefeld called the actions “reckless and unauthorized.”
“The stupidity and the lack of common sense is absolutely breathtaking. This public land is culturally significant and environmentally sensitive. People currently use this land to pick fruit from trees, and there are daily wine tasting events there,” Bredefeld said.
The San Joaquin River Parkway Trust is a separate entity from the conservancy.
Action News reached out to the executive director for the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust by phone this afternoon.
And Sharon Weaver maintains the product is completely safe.
“It’s been tested and it has all the components of any compost that you might buy for your garden or a farm. And we receive a test with every load that they deliver so we know exactly what the components of the compost are. You know, we know that it is safe,” she said.
In 2022, California legalized human composting under an Assembly bill, making it an option for residents to use starting in January 2027.
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