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.
