Loudoun committee weighs tighter rules for farm wineries, breweries and distilleries

The Transportation and Land Use Committee on July 16 heard hours of testimony and technical briefings as staff and outside agencies sought guidance on zoning rules for farm wineries, limited breweries and limited distilleries in western Loudoun County.

The meeting brought presentations from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, county legal staff and building and fire officials, followed by extensive comments from residents, industry representatives and county supervisors. Committee members framed the discussion around three recurring issues: how to define a bona fide agricultural operation that qualifies for farm exemptions; whether structures used for tasting and events should be exempt from building and fire-code requirements; and how to limit community impacts from hours, noise, parking and road access.

VDACS food-safety manager Karen Bergen told the committee that the state agency inspects both manufacturers (wineries, breweries and distilleries that bottle or wholesale product) and certain retail food operations. “We work to ensure that any kind of food … that are manufactured, processed, stored, or sold in Virginia are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled,” Bergen said, describing an MOU between VDACS and the Virginia Department of Health that divides inspection authority by the nature of food preparation. She and others clarified that VDACS inspects manufactured…