Poultry farms push agriculture plan in S.C. Senate

SOUTH CAROLINA - The poultry industry is pushing a version of a bill that passed the state House of Representatives a few years ago but stalled in the state Senate.

This time, the bill's been introduced in the Senate, most likely to get the fight out of the way first before moving to the more receptive House, said state Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter.

The proposal, nicknamed the "right to farm" bill, bans local governments from passing more stringent requirements than the state's for most farming operations. Hog farms are specifically excluded from the bill.

So, for example, counties would have to follow state regulations on how far from the property line to place chicken houses, rather than writing their own setback requirements.

"What would be the logic in having state regulations if local governments could come in and say, 'OK, thanks, but we're going to have our own set'?" Smith said.

Opponents say the bill wrests home rule from counties and uses a sledgehammer approach to fix genuine farming issues.

Source: The Item.com
calendar icon 11 March 2006
clock icon 1 minute read
© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.