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Agricultural Groups Urge Passage of Right-to-farm Amendment in Senate Columbia, SC--With only five days left in the legislative session, agricultural groups representing farmers from throughout the state are urging Senators to "stand up for agriculture" by passing a DHEC Regulation Bill which contains an amendment relating to livestock and poultry. The SC Farm Bureau Federation, the Palmetto Agribusiness Council, the SC Poultry Federation, and many commodity associations are asking Senators to adopt H. 3082, which includes the right-to-farm amendment. This amendment is the exact language adopted previously in the Senate Judiciary Committee and supported by 32 Senators. "H. 3082 simply states that local governments cannot enact ordinances more stringent than those previously established by the General Assembly and administered by DHEC," said David Winkles, President of the SC Farm Bureau Federation. "It is limited to livestock and poultry operations only, and does not include swine facilities. "This is not precedent setting legislation by any stretch. The SC General Assembly has over the years adopted numerous statutes which preempt the counties from duplicating what the state is regulating," he concluded. Jack Shuler, Chairman of the Palmetto Agribusiness Council, says that PABC is supporting H. 3082 because it is critical to the future of South Carolina agriculture. "This bill will ensure that farmers are not subjected to inconsistent county regulations, that livestock regulations are science-based, and that the state will not have 46 DHECS, which is a costly proposition. With H. 3082, Home Rule is not impacted, and counties are free to zone accordingly, including not zoning an area for agricultural use if that is what they choose," he said. "We must preserve agriculture and protect our farmers’ 'right to farm,' so that they can continue to provide us with the essentials of life--our food, fiber and shelter." According to Connie Smith, President of the SC Poultry Federation, "The right-to-farm amendment to H. 3082 has been voted 'pro-business' by BIPEC (South Carolina Business and Industry Political Education Committee) because they understand the importance of supporting our state's second largest industry--agriculture. "The state's number one industry, tourism, has been promoted and protected for years, and now the SC General Assembly has the opportunity to do the same for our state's farmers," she added. SC Farm Bureau is a federation of 47 county chapters with a total membership of more than 130,500 South Carolina families. SCFB provides a number of benefits to its members including lobbying efforts on issues like these and others to promote and sustain the family farmer and rural lifestyles in South Carolina. The SC Poultry Federation represents over 7,500 growers and processor employees. PABC includes over fifty agriculture-related businesses across the state.
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