Committee advances House Bill 1278 requiring surveyors to follow contact protocols before entering commercial poultry barns

The Senate Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development Committee on Tuesday advanced House Bill 1278, a measure that would require surveyors to follow specified contact and biosecurity steps before entering commercial poultry barns larger than 5,000 square feet.

Sponsor Senator Steve Crowell said the bill stemmed from requests by the surveyors’ lobby and aimed to prevent people from inadvertently spreading disease from one commercial poultry site to another. “The intent of this law is to have them contact the commercial property and act in the proper way in case there is, is a disease,” Crowell said.

The bill’s language would require surveyors to notify property owners and follow established protocols before entering barns used for commercial poultry operations. Crowell said the provision applies to commercial property over 5,000 square feet and is intended to protect producers from losses such as depopulation of flocks.

Randy Thurman and Courtney Sheppard, representing the Arkansas Surveyors Society, told the committee the organization was neutral on the measure and believes existing law requires surveyors to contact landowners. No opposition speakers were recorded.

Closing, the sponsor asked for a due-pass recommendation; the committee granted the motion by voice vote. The transcript records a voice vote and does not include a roll-call tally.

Ending: The committee advanced HB1278; supporters described the measure as a targeted biosecurity step intended to protect commercial poultry operations.