Public Input Sought on Proposed Livestock RulesOhioans will have two opportunities to ask questions about the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s proposed rules to regulate large-scale livestock operations in the state. Two public hearings are scheduled later this week for ODA officials to answer questions about the proposed rules:
The meetings are geared toward the public and livestock producers who have questions about the proposed rules, which were published by ODA April 3. At the meetings, Livestock Environmental Permitting Program (LEPP) staff will provide an overview of the draft rules and answer questions. However, these two public meetings will not be forums where people can make formal comments on the rules. That formal hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. May 9 at ODA’s Bromfield Administration Building in Reynoldsburg. Formal written comments also are being accepted by ODA through May 9. Both written and oral testimony must include the submitter’s name and address to be considered part of the formal record. S.B. 141, signed into law in December 2000 by Gov. Bob Taft, authorized ODA to write rules governing construction standards for all new and existing large livestock and poultry farms; all aspects of manure storage, handling, transportation, and land-application by these farms; and the farms’ insect and rodent control plans. These rules put nationally recognized science-based best management practices in place and spell out criteria farmers must meet to obtain a permit. This benefits not only farmers, but also neighbors who have questions about those farming practices. More information about LEPP and the proposed rules can be found at ODA’s Web site through the Featured Links section of Farm Bureau’s Web site at www.ofbf.org | |