Tag Archives: animal welfare
by Peggy Kirk Hall | December 23, 2019 · 11:44 am
The Ohio Ag Law Blog–Ag Law Harvest
Written by Ellen Essman
Hemp, drones, meat labeling and more—there is so much going on in the world of ag law! With so much happening, we thought we’d treat you to another round of the Harvest before the holidays.
Hemp for the holidays. As 2020 and the first growing season approach, there has been a flurry of activity surrounding hemp. States have been amending their rules and submitting them to the USDA for approval in anticipation of next year. In addition, just last week USDA extended the deadline to comment on the interim final hemp rule from December 30, 2019 to January 29, 2020. If you would like to submit a comment, you can do so here. To get a refresher on the interim rule, see our blog post here.
In other hemp news, EPA announced approval of 10 pesticides for use on industrial hemp. You can find the list here. Additional pesticides may be added to the list in the future.
Congress considers a potential food safety fix. It’s likely that over the last several years, you’ve heard about numerous recalls on leafy greens due to foodborne illnesses. It has been hypothesized that some of these outbreaks could potentially be the result of produce farms using water located near CAFOs to irrigate their crops. A bill entitled the “Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2019” has been introduced to tackle this and other potential food safety problems. If passed, the bill would give FDA the authority to conduct microbial sampling at CAFOs as part of a foodborne illness investigation. The bill is currently being considered in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Animal welfare bill becomes federal law. In November, the President signed the “Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act” (PACT), into law. PACT makes it a federal offense to purposely crush, burn, drown, suffocate, impale, or otherwise subject non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians to serious bodily injury. PACT also outlaws creating and distributing video of such animal torture. The law includes several exceptions, including during customary and normal veterinary, agricultural husbandry, and other animal management practices, as well as during slaughter, hunting, fishing, euthanasia, etc.
No meat labeling law in Arkansas? Last winter, Arkansas passed a law that made it illegal to “misbrand or misrepresent an agricultural product that is edible by humans.” Specifically, it made it illegal to represent a product as meat, beef, pork, etc. if the product is not derived from an animal. Unsurprisingly, the law did not sit well with companies in the business of making and selling meat substitutes from plants and cells. In July, The Tofurky Company sued the state in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Central Division, claiming the labeling law violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as the dormant Commerce Clause. On December 11, the District Court enjoined, or stopped Arkansas from enforcing, the labeling law. This means that the state will not be able to carry out the law while the District Court considers the constitutionality of the law. We will be following the ultimate outcome of this lawsuit closely.
Ag wants to be part of the drone conversation. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is currently considering a bill called the “Drone Advisory Committee for the 21st Century Act.” If passed, the bill would ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) includes representatives from agriculture, forestry, and rangeland, in addition to representatives from state, county, city, and Tribal governments on the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC). Thus, such representatives would be part of the conversation when the DAC advises the FAA on drone policies.
Ag financing tools may get an upgrade. The “Modernizing Agriculture and Manufacturing Bonds Act,” or MAMBA (what a great name) was introduced very recently in the House Committee on Ways and Means. Text of the bill is not yet available, but when it is, it should be located here. According to this fact sheet, the bill would make a number of changes to current law, including increasing “the limitation on small issue bond proceeds for first-time farmers” to $552,500, repealing “the separate dollar limitation on the use of bond proceeds for depreciable property” which would mean famers could use the full amount for equipment, breeding livestock, and other capital assets, and modifying the definition of “substantial farmland” to make it easier for beginning farmers to gain access to capital.
Shoring up national defense of agriculture and food is on the docket. The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry sent the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Act of 2019 (NBAF) to the floor of the Senate for consideration. Among other things, the bill would allow the USDA, through the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, to address threats from human pathogens, zoonotic disease agents, emerging foreign animal diseases, and animal transboundary diseases, and to develop countermeasures to such diseases. Essentially, USDA and NBAF would see to national security in the arena of agriculture and food.
We hope you have a wonderful holiday season! We will be sure to continue the ag law updates in the next decade!
Filed under ag law harvest, Animals, Drones, Food, livestock facilities, Uncategorized
Tagged as animal welfare, financing, Food Safety, hemp, industrial hemp, labeling, meat labeling
by Peggy Kirk Hall | October 23, 2019 · 10:11 am
Ohio Ag Law Blog–The Ag Law Harvest
Written by: Ellen Essman and Peggy Hall
October is almost over, and while farmers have thankfully been busy with harvest, we’ve been busy harvesting the world of ag law. From meat labeling to RFS rules to backyard chickens and H-2A labor certification, here’s our latest gathering of agricultural law news you may want to know:
Federal judge upholds Missouri’s meat labeling law—for now. Missouri passed a law in 2018, which among other things, prohibited representing a product as “meat” if it is not derived from livestock or poultry. As you can imagine, with the recent popularity of plant-based meat products, this law is controversial, and eventually led to a lawsuit. However, U.S. District Judge Fernando Gaitan Jr. decided not issue a preliminary injunction that would stop the Missouri Department of Agriculture from carrying out the labeling law. He reasoned that since companies like Tofurky, who brought the suit, label their products as plant-based or lab-grown, the law does not harm them. In other words, since Tofurky and other companies are not violating the law, it doesn’t make sense to stop enforcement on their account. Tofurky, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the good Food Institute have appealed Judge Gaitan’s decision, asserting that Missouri’s law infringes upon their right to free speech. This means that the Missouri law can be enforced at the moment, but the decision is not final, as more litigation is yet to come.
Oregon goes for cage-free egg law. In August, Oregon passed a new law that would require egg-laying chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, or guinea fowl to be kept in a “cage-free housing system.” This law will apply to all commercial farms with more than 3,000 laying hens. A cage-free housing system must have both indoor and outdoor areas, allow the hens to roam unrestricted, and must have enrichments such as scratch areas, perches, nest boxes and dust bathing areas. As of January 1, 2024, all eggs sold in the state of Oregon will have to follow these requirements for hens. The law does allow hens to be confined in certain situations, like for veterinary purposes or when they are part of a state or county fair exhibition.
City can ban backyard chickens, says court. The Court of Appeals for Ohio’s Seventh District upheld the city of Columbiana’s ordinances, which ban keeping chickens in a residential district, finding that they were both applicable to the appellant and constitutional. In this case, the appellant was a landowner in Columbiana who lived in an area zoned residential and kept hens in a chicken coop on his property. The appellant was eventually informed that keeping his hens was in violation of the city code. A lawsuit resulted when the landowner would not remove his chickens, and the trial court found for the city. The landowner appealed the trial court’s decision, arguing that he did not violate the city ordinances as they were written, and that the city applied the ordinances in an arbitrary and unreasonable way because his chickens did not constitute a nuisance. Although keeping chickens is not explicitly outlawed in Columbiana, the Court of Appeals for Ohio’s Seventh District found that reading the city’s zoning ordinances all together, the “prohibition on agricultural uses within residential districts can be inferred.” Furthermore, the court pointed out that the city’s code did not ban chickens in the whole city, but instead limited them to agricultural districts, and that the prohibition in residential areas was meant to ensure public health. For these reasons, the court found that the ordinances were not arbitrarily and unreasonably applied to the appellant, and as a result, the ordinances are constitutional. To read the decision in its entirety, click here.
EPA proposes controversial Renewable Fuel Standard rule. On October 15, EPA released a notice of proposed rulemaking, asking for more public comment on the proposed volumes of biofuels to be required under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program in 2020. The RFS program “requires a certain volume of renewable fuel to replace the quantity of petroleum-based transportation fuel” and other fuels. Renewable fuels include biofuels made from crops like corn, soybeans, and sugarcane. In recent years, the demand for biofuels has dropped as the Trump administration waived required volumes for certain oil refiners. The administration promised a fix to this in early October, but many agricultural and biofuels groups feel that EPA’s October 15 proposed rule told a different story. Many of these groups are upset by the proposed blending rules, claiming that way the EPA proposes calculate the biofuel volumes would cause the volumes to fall far below what the groups were originally promised by the administration. This ultimately means the demand for biofuels would be less. On the other hand, the EPA claims that biofuels groups are misreading the rule, and that the calculation will in fact keep biofuel volumes at the level the administration originally promised. The EPA plans to hold a public hearing on October 30, followed by a comment period that ends November 29, 2019. Hopefully the hearing and comments will help to sort out the disagreement. More information is available here, and a preliminary version of the rule is available here.
New H-2A labor certification rule is in effect. The U.S. Department of Labor has finalized one of many proposed changes to the H-2A temporary agricultural labor rules. A new rule addressing labor certification for H-2A became effective on October 21, 2019. The new rule aims to modernize the labor market test for H-2A labor certification, which determines whether qualified American workers are available to fill temporary agricultural positions and if not, allows an employer to seek temporary migrant workers. An employer may advertise their H-2A job opportunities on a new version of the Department’s website, SeasonalJobs.dol.gov, now mobile-friendly, centralized and linked to third-party job-search websites. State Workforce Agencies will also promote awareness of H-2A jobs. Employers will no longer have to advertise a job in a print newspaper of general circulation in the area of intended employment. For the final rule, visit this link.
And more rules: National Organic Program rule proposals. The USDA has also made two proposals regarding organic production rules. First is a proposed rule to amend the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for organic crops and handling. The rule would allow blood meal made with sodium citrate to be used as a soil amendment, prohibit the use of natamycin in organic crops, and allow tamarind seed gum to be used as a non-organic ingredient in organic handling if an organic form is not commercially available. That comment period closes on December 17, 2019. Also up for consideration is USDA’s request to extend the National Organic Program’s information collection reporting and recordkeeping requirements, which are due to expire on January 31, 2020. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service specifically invites comments by December 16, 2019 on: (1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Great Lakes restoration gets a boost from EPA. On October 22, 2019, the EPA announced a new action plan under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The plan will be carried out by federal agencies and their partners through fiscal year 2024. Past GLRI action plans have removed environmental impairments on the lakes and prevented one million pounds of phosphorus from finding its way into the lakes. The plans are carried out by awarding federal grant money to state and local groups throughout the Great Lakes, who use the money to carry out lake and habitat restoration projects. Overall, the new plan’s goals are to remove toxic substances from the lakes, improve and delist Areas of Concern in the lakes, control invasive species and prevent new invasive species from entering the lakes, reduce nutrients running off from agriculture and stormwater, protect and restore habitats, and to provide education about the Great Lakes ecosystem. You can read EPA’s news release on the new plan here, and see the actual plan here. We plan to take a closer look at the plan and determine what it means for Ohio agriculture, so watch for future updates!
Filed under ag law harvest, Animals, Conservation Programs, Environmental, Food, Labor, Property, Uncategorized, Water
Tagged as ag law harvest, animal welfare, Harvest, Labor, meat labeling, National Organic Program, nutrient runoff, property law, renewable fuel standard, Zoning
by Peggy Kirk Hall | May 16, 2019 · 5:00 am
Iowa tries work-around on “ag-gag” law ruling
Written by Ellen Essman, Senior Research Associate, OSU Extension Agricultural & Resource Law Program
In January, we wrote about state “ag-gag” laws and the trend of federal courts overturning such laws nationwide. “Ag-gag” is the term for fraud and trespass laws that aim to prevent undercover journalists, investigators, animal rights advocates, and other whistleblowers from secretly filming or recording at agricultural production facilities. We specifically discussed a case in Iowa, where the state’s “agricultural production facility fraud law” was found to be unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds in the federal District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. In response to that ruling, the legislature modified the law, but a group made up of animal rights, community, and food safety organizations has again sued the state. The plaintiffs contend that the new law still violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.
Iowa law: current and former
Shortly following the aforementioned district court decision, Iowa passed a new ag-gag law with slightly different language. The new Iowa law changes the crime from “agricultural production facility fraud” to “agricultural production facility trespass.” The legislature also changed the language from outlawing false statements or pretenses to outlawing deception. Another important change is the focus in the new statutory language on the “intent to cause physical or economic harm or other injury” to the farm.
The new law reads:
717A.3B Agricultural production facility trespass.
A person commits agricultural production facility trespass if the person does any of the following:
Uses deception as described in section 702.9, subsection 1 or 2, on a matter that would reasonably result in a denial of access to an agricultural production facility that is not open to the public, and, through such deception, gains access to the agricultural production facility, with the intent to cause physical or economic harm or other injury to the agricultural production facility’s operations, agricultural animals, crop, owner, personnel, equipment, building, premises, business interest, or customer.
Uses deception as described in section 702.9, subsection 1 or 2, on a matter that would reasonably result in a denial of an opportunity to be employed at an agricultural production facility that is not open to the public, and, through such deception, is so employed, with the intent to cause physical or economic harm or other injury to the agricultural production facility’s operations, agricultural animals, crop, owner, personnel, equipment, building, premises, business interest, or customer.
Iowa law defines “deception,” in part, as “knowingly…[c]reating or confirming another’s belief or impression as to the existence or nonexistence of a fact or condition which is false and which the actor does not believe to be true,” or “[f]ailing to correct a false belief or impression as to the existence or nonexistence of a fact or condition which the actor previously has created or confirmed.”
The previous Iowa law, which was struck down in a district court decision, is currently still available on the Iowa Legislature’s website. The old law made it illegal to gain access to a facility through false pretenses and to make a “false statement or representation” in order to be employed by an agricultural production facility. Note that the former law did not use the word “deception,” or touch on injury to the farm.
In the district court decision overturning the previous law, Judge Gritzner agreed with the plaintiffs that the language of the law violated the First Amendment right to free speech because it was content-based, viewpoint based, and overbroad. He decided that even though the law banned false statements, such false statements are still protected under the First Amendment. In other words, just because Iowa livestock operators do not like the speech of the activists and whistleblowers trying to gain access to their farms, it does not mean that the speech should be infringed upon.
Animal rights groups and others challenge the new law
On April 22, 2019, shortly after the passage of Iowa’s new law, plaintiffs filed suit against the state once again in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Plaintiffs include Animal Legal Defense Fund, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Bailing out Benji, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Inc., and the Center for Food Safety. In their complaint against the state of Iowa, plaintiffs contend that the new law still violates the Constitution, saying that “the only difference” between the two laws is that the new law “targets a slightly different form of speech.” In other words, Iowa has changed its law from outlawing false statements or pretenses to outlawing deception, but the plaintiffs believe the new law basically ends up doing the same thing as the old, overturned ag-gag law; it prevents their speech based on content and viewpoint. Plaintiffs rely on the following arguments to illustrate their reasoning:
Iowa’s new law bans any negative speech about the agricultural industry, which creates a preference for speech favorable to the industry.
Whistleblowing is not criminalized in other Iowa industries.
Iowa statutes already outlaw fraud, trespass, and adulteration of food products, as well as the theft of trade secrets, so agriculture already has adequate protection from economic harm.
Outlawing deception “with the intent to cause…other injury” is too vague; it is not easily discernable what other kinds of speech or actions might be illegal under the statute.
As such, the plaintiffs allege that the Iowa law violates freedom of speech under the First Amendment because it is overbroad, viewpoint-based discrimination, and because it is vaguely written under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Finally, plaintiffs contend that the law violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process clause because it “substantially burdens” their exercise of free speech. The court must determine whether or not they agree with this assessment.
Many “ag-gag” statutes struck down as unconstitutional, but many more decisions to go
As was mentioned in our January blog post, there is ongoing ag-gag litigation outside of Iowa, as well. Kansas and North Carolina have both been sued for their ag-gag statutes, and both cases are still pending. Will the federal courts find laws in Iowa, Kansas and North Carolina unconstitutional like they have previously in Iowa, as well as in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming, or will they find that they do not violate freedom of speech and due process? Will lawsuits challenge the remaining ag-gag laws in Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, and North Dakota? The answers may take a while to sort out.
Filed under Animals
Tagged as ag-gag, animal welfare, Animals, livestock, livestock facilities
Ohio Legislation on the Move
Since our last legislative update in March, Ohio’s legislators and staffers have been busy introducing more legislation. As of this morning, there are 332 bills that have been introduced by members of the Ohio General Assembly since January. Some have already passed both the Ohio House and Senate, but most are still pending. While we cannot write about every pending bill, the following bills relate to agricultural, local government, or natural resource law. In addition to these bills that we have not yet covered, see the end of this post for an update about bills we mentioned in our last blog post.
Senate Bill 183, titled “Allow tax credits to assist beginning farmers.” Many agricultural news outlets quickly picked up on this bill. The bill would authorize two nonrefundable tax credits. One is for beginning farmers who attend a financial management program, while the other is for individuals or businesses that sell or rent farmland, livestock, buildings, or equipment to beginning farmers. The Ohio Department of Agriculture would be responsible for certifying individuals as beginning farmers and for approving eligible financial management programs. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
House Bill 109, titled “Grant tax exemption for land used for commercial maple syruping.” The bill would exempt “maple forest land” from having to pay property taxes. The landowner would have to apply for the designation with the Ohio Department of Taxation. Eligible lands are those lands bearing a stand of maple trees where 1) an average of at least thirty taps are drilled each year into at least fifteen different maple trees per acre of land, 2) the harvested sap is incorporated into a maple product for commercial sale, 3) the land is managed under a forest land maintenance plan, and 4) the property has ten or more acres or the sap harvest produces an average yearly gross income of more than $2,500. Note that all four requirements must be met in order to qualify as an exempt maple forest land. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 103, titled “Change law relating to land installment contracts.” Ohio’s Land Installment Contract Law, which applies to contracts involving properties with a residence but not contracts involving only open farmland, would see some significant changes under this proposed legislation. The bill would shift the burden of paying property taxes and homeowner’s insurance from the buyer to the seller. The seller would also be prohibited from holding a mortgage on the property. The contract would have to include provisions stating that the seller is responsible for all repairs and maintenance on the property. Interest rates would also be capped so that the rate cannot exceed the Treasury bill rate for loans of the same length of time by 2%. For example, if a 5-year land installment contract is entered into on September 7th and the 5-year Treasury bill rate on that day is 2.64%, the interest rate for the land installment contract would not be able to exceed 4.64% under this bill. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
House Bill 209, titled “Abolish estate by dower.” Dower provides a surviving spouse with rights in any real property owned by a decedent spouse. This bill would end dower estates moving forward, but any interests that vest before the change would take effect would still be valid. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
Senate Bill 114, titled “Expand township authority-regulate noise in unincorporated area.” The bill analysis explains that a board of township trustees is currently limited to regulate noise coming from either areas zoned as residential or premises where a D liquor permit has been issued. The bill would expand the township’s authority to regulate noise anywhere within the unincorporated territory of the township; however, the agricultural zoning exemption would still apply and townships would not be able to enact zoning ordinances that restrict agricultural activities. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
Senate Bill 12, titled “Change laws governing traffic law enforcement.” Notably for townships, this bill would prohibit township law enforcement officers or representatives from using a traffic camera on an interstate highway. Click HEREfor more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
Regulation of Alcohol
House Bill 181, titled “Promote use of Ohio agricultural goods in alcoholic beverages.” The bill would authorize the Ohio Department of Agriculture to create promotional logos that producers of Ohio craft beer and spirits may display on their products. Specifically, the bill would authorize an “Ohio Proud Craft Beer” and an “Ohio Proud Craft Spirits promotion. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 160, titled “Revised alcoholic ice cream law.” Under current Ohio law, those wishing to sell ice cream containing alcohol must obtain an A-5 liquor permit and can only sell the ice cream at the site of manufacture, and that site must be in an election precinct that allows for on- and off-premises consumption of alcohol. This bill would allow the ice cream maker to sell to consumers for off-premises enjoyment and to retailers that are authorized to sell alcohol. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 179, titled “Exempt small wineries from retail food establishment licensing.” The bill would exempt small wineries that produce less than 10,000 gallons of wine annually from having to obtain a retail food establishment license in order to sell commercially prepackaged foods. The sales of the prepackaged foods cannot exceed more than 5% of the winery’s gross annual receipts. The winery would have to notify the permitting authority that it is exempt, and also notify its customers about its exemption. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 20, titled “Prohibit homeowner associations placing limits on solar panels.” The bill would prohibit homeowners and neighborhood associations, along with civic and other associations, from imposing unreasonable restrictions on the installation of solar collector systems on roofs or exterior walls under the ownership or exclusive use of a property owner. Condominium properties would similar be prohibited from imposing unreasonable restrictions where there are no competing uses for the roof or wall space where a solar collector system would be located. According to the bill analysis, an unreasonable limitation is one that significantly increases the cost or significantly decreases the efficiency of a solar collector system. Individual unit owners would also have the right to negotiate a solar access easement. Click HERE or more information about the bill, and HEREfor the current official bill analysis.
Senate Bill 119, titled “Exempt Ohio from daylight savings time.” The bill would require Ohio to observe Daylight Savings Time on a permanent basis effective March 8, 2020. The state’s clocks would spring forward in March, but there would be no falling back in the fall. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
As for the bills that we previously covered in our March legislative update, the following chart explains where those bills stand. Those that have passed at least one chamber have their passage status underlined in the column on the right. Those that have had at least one committee hearing list the number of hearings, while those that have not had any activity in committee state only the committee that the bill has been referred to from the floor.
Category Bill No. Bill Title Status
Hemp SB 57 Decriminalize hemp and license hemp cultivation – Passed Senate
– Completed first committee hearing in House
Watershed Planning SB 2 Create state watershed planning structure – Referred to Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
Animals HB 24 Revise humane society law – Completed third committee hearing in House
Animals HB 124 Allow small livestock on residential property – Referred to House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee
Oil and Gas HB 55 Require oil and gas royalty statements – Completed first committee hearing in House
Oil and Gas HB 94 Ban taking oil or natural gas from bed of Lake Erie – Referred to House Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Oil and Gas HB 95 Revise oil and gas law about brine and well conversions – Referred to House Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Mineral Rights HB 100 Revise requirements governing abandoned mineral rights – Referred to House Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Regulations SB 1 Reduce number of regulatory restrictions – Completed three committee hearings in Senate
Business Law SB 21 Allow corporation to become benefit corporation – Passed Senate
– Completed first hearings in two separate House committees
Animals SB 33 Establish animal abuse reporting requirements – Completed fifth committee hearing in Senate
Local Gov’t HB 48 Create local government road improvement fund – Referred to House Finance Committee
Local Gov’t HB 54 Increase tax revenue allocated to the local government fund – Referred to House Ways and Means Committee
Property HB 74 Prohibit leaving junk watercraft or motor uncovered on property – Completed first committee hearing in House
Tagged as animal welfare, benefit corporations, corporations, hemp, industrial hemp, local government funding, mineral rights, Ohio 133rd General Assembly, oil and gas law, regulatory reform
by Peggy Kirk Hall | March 15, 2019 · 1:07 pm
State lawmakers have been busy crafting new legislation since the 133rd General Assembly took shape in January. As promised, here are some highlights and summaries of the pending bills that relate to agriculture in Ohio:
Senate Bill 57, titled “Decriminalize hemp and license hemp cultivation.” The Ohio Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a second hearing about the bill on March 13th, and numerous farm organizations spoke in support of the bill. As of now the language of the bill has not changed since we last discussed Ohio’s hemp bill in a blog post, but some changes could be made when the bill is sent out of the committee. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
Senate Bill 2, titled “Create state watershed planning structure.” The one sentence bill expresses the General Assembly’s intent “to create and fund a comprehensive statewide watershed planning structure to be implemented at the local soil and water conservation district level.” It further expresses the intent “to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of watershed programs implemented by local soil and water conservation districts.” Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 24, titled “Revise humane society law.” The bill would make various changes to Ohio’s Humane Society Law, including changes to enforcement powers, appointment and removal procedures, training, and criminal law applicability. One of the significant changes would expand to all animals the seizure and impoundment provisions that currently apply only to companion animals. This change would allow an officer to seize and impound any animal that the officer has probable cause to believe is the subject of a violation of Ohio’s domestic animal law. At the same time, the bill would remove certain provisions from current law that pertain to harm to people, thereby focusing the new law solely on the protection of animals. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
House Bill 124, titled “Allow small livestock on residential property.” Under this bill, counties and townships would no longer be allowed to restrict via zoning certain noncommercial agricultural activities on residential property conducted for an individual’s personal use and enjoyment. Instead, owners of residential property that is not generally agricultural would be allowed to keep, harbor, breed, and maintain small livestock on their property. Small livestock includes goats, chickens and similar fowl, rabbits, and similar small animals. Roosters are explicitly excluded from this definition. However, the owner would lose his or her rights to keep small livestock if the small livestock create a nuisance, are kept in a manner that causes noxious odors or unsanitary conditions, are kept in a building that is unsafe as defined under the statute, or if the number of animals exceeds a certain ratio of animals to acres as defined under the statute. The ratio may be modified by the local jurisdiction to allow for more animals per acre. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 55, titled “Require oil and gas royalty statements.” Owners of oil and gas wells would have to provide mandatory reports to holders of royalty interests under this bill. Current law only requires disclosure of the information upon request, but this bill would make the disclosure mandatory. The bill would expand the types of information that the reports must include, and allows the holder of royalty interests to sue to enforce the new rights. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
House Bill 94, titled “Ban taking oil or natural gas from bed of Lake Erie.” The Ohio Department of Natural Resources handles oil and gas permitting in Ohio, and this bill would bar the agency from issuing permits or making leases “to take or remove oil or natural gas from and under the bed of Lake Erie.” Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 95, titled “Revise Oil and Gas Law about brine and well conversions.” The bill would ban the use of brine in secondary oil and gas recovery operations. It would also ban putting brine, crude oil, natural gas, and other fluids associated with oil and gas exploration in ground or surface waters, on the ground, or in the land. This restriction would apply even if the fluid received treatment in a public water system or other treatment process. Further, brine disposal permits would not be allowed to utilize underground injection or disposal on the land or in surface or ground water. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 100, titled “Revise requirements governing abandoned mineral rights.” Ohio has a statute that governs when a surface owner can take the mineral rights held or claimed by another by operation of law, essentially because of the passage of time. The bill would require a surface owner to attempt to give notice to a holder of mineral rights by personal service, certified mail, or if those are unsuccessful then by publication. Currently, if a holder of mineral rights believes that his or her interest remains valid, he or she may file an affidavit that complies with Ohio Revised Code (ORC) § 5301.56(H)(1) in the county property records. If the holder of mineral rights fails to file an affidavit, the surface owner may then file an affidavit under ORC § 5301.56(H)(2) that effectively vests the mineral rights in the surface owner. The new law would allow the surface owner to challenge a holder of mineral rights’ ORC § 5301.56(H)(1) affidavit. This process would require the surface owner to obtain a court determination that the affidavit is invalid. Then the surface owner would be able to file the new ORC § 5301.56(H)(3) affidavit to obtain the mineral rights. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
There are also some bills that could have some indirect implications in the agricultural and natural resources sectors. These indirect effects make this next set of bills noteworthy, or at least interesting.
Senate Bill 1, titled “Reduce number of regulatory restrictions.” The bill would require each state agency to count its total number of regulatory restrictions, and then reduce the number of restrictions based on that baseline by 30% by 2022. Once an agency meets its reduction target, it would not be able to increase the number of regulatory restrictions without making additional cuts elsewhere. The bill would target agency rules that require or prohibit specific acts. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
Senate Bill 21, titled “Allow corporation to become benefit corporation.” Much like the LLC merged the principles of a corporation and a partnership, the benefit corporation merges the principles of a corporation and a non-profit. A benefit corporation must follow the formalities of a corporation, but the articles of incorporation can designate a social purpose for the business to pursue, such as promoting the environment through sustainable practices. One of the unique traits of benefit corporations is that benefit corporations cannot be held liable for damages for failing to seek, achieve, or comply with their beneficial purpose, or even obtain a profit; however, certain individuals may seek a court ordered injunction to force the company to pursue those interests. In a sense, the benefit corporation reduces the traditional fiduciary duties expected in general corporations. The bill purports to maintain the traditional fiduciary duties, but by allowing a social purpose other than profit to guide decisions, the traditional fiduciary duties are in effect modified. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
House Bill 33, titled “Establish animal abuse reporting requirements.” Under the bill, veterinarians and social service professionals would have to report their knowledge of abuse, cruelty, or abandonment toward a companion animal. Social service professionals would include licensed counselors, social workers, and marriage or family therapists acting in their professional capacity. Companion animals include non-wild animals kept in a residential dwelling, along with any cats and dogs kept anywhere. These individuals would be required to report the neglect to law enforcement, agents of the county humane society, dog wardens, or other animal control officers. Further, dog wardens, deputy dog wardens, and animal control officers would become mandatory reporters of child abuse. Lastly, the bill explains the information that must be reported, the timing, and the penalties for failure to comply. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
House Bill 48, titled “Create local government road improvement fund.” The bill proposes to deposit into a new local government road improvement fund some of the surplus funds generated when the state spends less than it appropriates in the general revenue fund. Under current law, this surplus is split between the budget stabilization fund, also known as the “rainy day fund,” and the income tax reduction fund, which would redistribute remaining surplus to taxpayers. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 54, titled “Increase tax revenue allocated to the local government fund.” The bill would increase the proportion of state tax revenue allocated to the Local Government Fund from 1.66% to 3.53%. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
House Bill 74, titled “Prohibit leaving junk watercraft or motor uncovered on property.” The bill would allow a sheriff, chief of police, highway patrol officer, or township trustee to send notice to a landowner to remove a junk vessel or outboard motor within 10 days. The prohibition applies to junk vessels, including watercraft, and outboard motors that are three years or older, apparently inoperable, and with a fair market value of $1,500 or less. Failure to cover, house, or remove the item in ten days could result in conviction of a misdemeanor. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
As more bills are introduced, and as these bills move along, stay tuned to the Ag Law Blog for updates.
Filed under Animals, Business and Financial, Environmental, Oil and Gas, Property
by Peggy Kirk Hall | November 9, 2018 · 12:13 pm
Meat Law Continues to Sizzle in the News
Written by: Evin Bachelor, Law Fellow, Agricultural and Resource Law Program
Every year, we hear fascinating legal updates at the American Agricultural Law Association’s annual conference. Thanks to presentations by Todd Janzen and Brianna Schroeder of Janzen Ag Law in Indianapolis, we were inspired to learn a little more about trends in meat law. For readers with a livestock operation, these legal issues can present great challenges, and keeping up to date on legal trends helps farmers stay prepared.
Veal, pork, and eggs: states battle each other on minimum confinement space regulations.
California voters passed Proposition 12 in the November 2018 election, which will require producers to comply with minimum confinement space regulations in order to sell certain products in California. The Prevent Cruelty California Coalition placed the proposition on the ballot, expanding a previous regulation on in-state suppliers, but the new law would apply to any producer trying to sell veal, pork, or eggs in California. By 2020, veal calves must be housed with at least 43 square feet of usable floor space, breeding pigs must be housed with at least 24 square feet of usable floor space, and egg-laying hens must have at least 1 square foot of floor space. However, by 2022, egg-laying hens must be cage free. Proposition 12 strengthens requirements approved by California voters in 2008’s Proposition 2 by imposing the requirements on out-of-state producers who want to sell their products in California.
In 2016, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot measure that would require eggs sold within the state to be cage free by 2022. Thirteen states, led by Indiana, have sued Massachusetts in the United States Supreme Court in an attempt to stop Massachusetts from enforcing the requirement. These states allege that the restriction is an attempt to regulate how farmers in other states operate, which violates the rights of other states to create their own regulations. This would be a constitutional question under what is known as the Dormant Commerce Clause, which prohibits states from unfairly regulating business activities that have impacts beyond a state’s border. Status updates on the lawsuit are available here.
Trying a legislative solution to slow the trend of cage-free restrictions, Iowa passed a law earlier this year that requires grocers that sell cage-free eggs to also sell conventional eggs if they want to receive benefits from the USDA WIC program. Supporters of the law argued that cage-free eggs are often more expensive and excluded from the WIC program. They argue that as a result, when grocers make commitments to sell only cage-free eggs, they make it more difficult for low-income families to purchase eggs.
Beef: non-meat proteins continue to target beef.
The “Impossible Burger” wants to convince consumers that a non-meat burger patty that tastes just like meat is just around the corner. Veggie burgers are not new to the grocery store shelves, but recent innovations that have allowed non-meat proteins to improve in taste and texture have raised concerns among meat producers that these products are becoming a serious threat. Given that many of these innovations have taken aim at the burger market, beef producers in particular have felt a target on their backs. As we reported in a previous edition of The Harvest, Missouri became the first state this year to regulate labeling of non-animal products as being derived from an animal, and the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association has petitioned the USDA to consider regulating labels involving animal terms like “meat.” Other speakers at the AALA conference indicated that the USDA is currently debating how to regulate labels, but has yet to develop a comprehensive rule package.
Dairy contracts: always know what you are signing.
The market has been very tough for dairy producers. Having a long term supply contract in place is certainly preferable to no contract, but depending upon the terms of the contract, unfortunate surprises may be in store.
Purchasers often write the contracts, and include terms that favor them. For example, many contracts contain termination provisions that allow either party to end the agreement for essentially any reason with prior notice, often 30 days. When producers invest in their operations under the expectation that the contract will stand throughout the term specified, these termination provisions can result in devastating surprises. As another example, many contracts contain confidentiality agreements that make it difficult for a producer to determine whether the deal they are offered is great, average, or actually bad. Equally concerning for producers are provisions that shift liability for problems with the milk to the producer, and away from the purchaser who sells the milk on the market. With modern technology, tracking where milk originated makes this possible. Courts are likely to enforce these agreements because the law of contracts favors enforcement of private agreements.
Given the current market, many dairy producers felt that they are not in a position to negotiate better terms, for fear that another dairy close by will accept the terms as-is. This position is made worse by the inability of producers to talk about their contracts with one another because of confidentiality provisions.
What a producer can do is to read the contract carefully and make sure that he or she understands the terms of the contract. It may be wise to speak with an attorney to verify that the producer’s understanding of the contract matches how the contract is likely to be read by a court.
Tagged as AALA, animal welfare, cage-free, dairy contracts, Food, food law, meat, non-meat proteins
Here’s our gathering of recent agricultural law news you may want to know:
The Ohio Department of Agriculture will hold a hearing on April 5, 2018 at 9 a.m. to receive testimony on proposed amendments to the Agricultural Pollution Abatement Program rules. The amendments are largely alterations of the format and structure of the rule to allow for easier reading, and do not impact the substance of the rule in many situations. Two changes to the substance of the rules is the addition of a duty to prevent pollution from “residual farm products,” which means bedding, wash waters, waste feed, silage drainage and some mortality composting, and clarification of the investigation and enforcement process. Read the ODA’s summary of the changes here. Hearing information is here.
Considering solar leasing on your farm? If so, sit in on the Solar Leasing for Agricultural Landowners webinar on April 4 at Noon. The free webinar features our colleague Prof. Shannon Ferrell of Oklahoma State, who will remove some of the mystery of solar leasing for landowners. More information is here.
Several groups have filed a lawsuit against the USDA for its March 12 withdrawal of the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices rule finalized during President Obama’s tenure. The rule would have established animal welfare standards for organic producers. Read more about the organizations’ claims in this post by our Ag & Food Law Consortium partner, the National Sea Grant Law Center.
Another Consortium partner of ours, Penn State Law, has prepared a comprehensive summary of the current status and legal developments for the problematic Rover Pipeline that is affecting many landowners in Ohio and other states. The summary is here.
Ohio legislative activity:
The Apiary Immunity bill, H.B. 392, passed the Ohio House on March 21 and was introduced in the Ohio Senate on March 26. The bill proposes limited liability for registered apiary owners.
Fedor (D-Toledo) and Rep. Sheehy (D-Toledo) introduced HCR 25, a resolution encouraging the U.S. EPA Administrator to declare the open waters of Western Lake Erie as impaired, consistent with the Ohio EPA’s recent water quality report we reported on earlier this week.
Tagged as ag law harvest, agricultural pollution abatement, animal welfare, apiary liability, lake erie, pipelines, solar leases