Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Committee debates letting towns regulate livestock on small lots, and sets standard for swine-waste rules
Loading...
Summary
The Agriculture Committee reviewed an amendment that would allow municipalities to regulate the raising, feeding or managing of livestock on parcels under one contiguous acre and to set performance standards for swine waste in designated downtowns when the Secretary of Agriculture cannot provide redress under RAPs.
The Agriculture Committee reviewed a strike-all amendment to municipal regulation of agriculture that would narrow the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) exemption and give towns limited authority to address swine waste and small-parcel livestock.
The change would make ‘‘raising, feeding, or managing livestock’’ on farms under one contiguous acre subject to municipal zoning even when other farming activities on the same parcel remain exempt under RAPs, and it would allow municipalities in designated downtowns or village centers to adopt performance standards for swine waste when the Secretary of Agriculture is unable to address an adverse community impact.
Bradley Schoeman, the amendment sponsor, said the intent is to give municipalities a tool to address ‘‘bad actors’’ who do not cooperate with the agency and the community while preserving protections for bona fide farming. He told the committee the bill clarifies that the municipal authority targets animal waste and not farm structures or general farming activities.
Steve Collier of the Agency of Agriculture said the goal is to ‘‘enable municipalities to step in when the RAPs don't specifically address waste’’ but warned against standards so strict they would effectively ban farms. "What we're thinking about more than doing bylaws or performance standards is enabling towns to make sure the property stays clean, essentially," Collier said, adding that rules should require responsible management without being prohibitive.
Legislative counsel Ellen Tchaikovsky explained performance standards are typically use-agnostic thresholds—such as decibel limits or odor criteria—that measure the impact on neighboring properties rather than proscribing a use outright.
The amendment would add a statutory definition of ‘‘swine waste’’ (manure and absorbent bedding) for enforcement purposes, require municipalities to give at least 30 days' notice to the Secretary and the farm with an opportunity to cure before enforcing a performance standard, and contemplate an administrative backstop where the agency can assist in determining reasonable management timelines.
Committee members debated whether to refer to ‘‘any related bylaw’’ (which could broaden municipal authority) and concluded to tighten that language to avoid unintended expansion beyond swine waste management. No formal vote was taken; sponsors said finalized language will be circulated and a vote is expected in a future meeting.
The committee will return with revised statutory text and an implementation plan that spells out notice, appeal and agency consultation procedures before advancing the amendment.
