The North Carolina General Assembly is currently considering the annual NC Farm Act (S 315). Although the bill includes many positive provisions to support the farming community, it rolls back hard won protections for our land and water resources from large scale, industrial animal production and related waste management facilities. We need to tell lawmakers our state deserves stronger laws governing animal waste management, not weaker ones.

Provisions in S 315:

Section 25 - Would shield Soil and Water Conservation District documents regarding grant eligibility criteria and complaints at swine, cattle and wet poultry facilities from public records laws. This would fundamentally deny the public's right to know about how taxpayer funds are being spent to assist the multi-billion dollar swine industry.

Section 27 - This section would allow construction of swine waste management systems under a general permit and change long-standing law that any such modifications must meet or exceed environmentally superior technologies.

In addition, the proposed state budget would give away $450,000 in taxpayer funds to industrial swine operations, diverting funds from farmland preservation and agricultural cost share programs for small farms. The budget would also delay the implementation of reasonable, new groundwater monitoring, record keeping and phosphorous assessment requirements for animal waste management facilities.

Neither bill contains provisions to study the ever growing poultry industry in the state or establish permitting and siting requirements for industrial scale poultry operations. According to the US Department of Agriculture, nearly 300 million chickens are produced in the Yadkin River watershed annually.

Your NC House Member needs to hear from you on these issues today!