Posted May 1, 2014
The Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development voted, in a special session, to adopt changes that make all farm livestock operations, regardless of size, subject to the rules, according to an article by MLive available here.
The Right to Farm Act “was created in 1981 to protect commercial farms at a time when city people were moving into rural areas and then complaining about conditions typical to farming, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.” The law protects farmers from nuisance lawsuits “as long as the operation is conforming to Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices” determined by the state.
The new rule gives local governments more authority to ban or regulate raising farm animals in residential areas, according to an article by Michigan Radio available here. Farmers with livestock in areas that are “primarily residential” may not claim protection under the Right to Farm Act.
“I believe we have over 100 communities in Michigan who have ordinances on the books against chickens and bees and other things, and they will be able to continue to move forward with those,” says Jamie Clover Adams, the director of the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Adams and commission members say they expect to adjust the regulation as time goes on. They “say the city of Detroit is in the process of adopting a livestock ordinance that could serve as a model in some cases.”
Some, however, say the rule change will hurt small farms. “They don’t want us little guys feeding ourselves. They want us to go all to the big farms,” said Kim White. “They want to do away with small farms and I believe that is what’s motivating it.”
For more information on Right to Farm laws and for a compilation of states’ Right to Farm statutes, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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