Jeannie Haddaway, a candidate for Lt. Governor running with David Craig, is calling for the O’Malley-Brown Administration to delay adoptions of regulations that would prevent farmers from using locally produced organic fertilizer and re-consider defining them as "emergency" status which short circuits the normal review process.
In a letter to the Governor and the Secretary of Agriculture, Haddaway explained that the regulations as currently drafted not only prevent poultry and dairy farmers from using organic fertilizer, they will cause complications with responsible storage and transportation of poultry manure leaving farmers no choice but to use chemical fertilizers instead.
“This will not only deprive farm families of income but also poses significant health and environmental risks to Marylanders and to the animals themselves," said Haddaway. "With that in mind, the Administration should reconsider these regulations or at least revoke the emergency status so that the industry and stakeholders have adequate time to develop a workable solution.”
Senator Richard Colburn (District 37) who is a member of the Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review Committee agreed with Haddaway's position and has called for a public hearing on the issue which is before his committee. In response, a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, August 28, 2013 in Annapolis.
David Craig called for a common sense approach that values the input of all stakeholders.
"Regulations often have unintended consequences, which is why they need to be thought out beforehand," said Craig. "The poultry industry is one of the most heavily -regulated industry sectors in Maryland, at the local, state and federal level. The state needs to exercise due diligence."
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
7 comments:
Destroying Maryland's economy by pushing chicken and other animal production to other states..
Got to just love all the politicos jumping on the band wagon like they are taking care of this for the community. Why didn't they make the locals aware of this before it became emergency legislation? Asleep at the wheel, huh?
Wouldn't hurt my feeling if these large scale poultry companies left MD.
It would actually be good for the economy given only a small percentage of the jobs they produce pay anything near a living wage. Most of the employees get one or more government subsidy in other words tax payers are paying for these people. They are a huge cause of this areas blight. What they sell is crap anyway and loaded with chemicals.
When Pilgrims Pride left an area in VA the area once again prospered. The growers themselves got to keep a large profit as opposed to the pennies they get when under contract. Look up Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative.
People need to get informed. These large chicken companies are and have been the downfall of communities for generations now.
Here's a short history on VPGC-
Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative was incorportated in the Summer of 2004. Our story is one of perserverance in the face of adversity.
In April of 2004 Pilgrims Pride, the owner of the Hinton Processing Facility, announced the closing of Operations within six months. The Impact of the closure would be felt by nearly 170 farms, 1,800 employees and indirectly through the entire Shenandoah Valley. Following this announcement, the owners of many of these farms banded together and VPGC was incorporated.
Though faced with many challenges, VPGC found support in the local farm-oriented community, and raised the funds necessary to purchase the Hinton Processing plant and Feed Mill located in Broadway, Va. On November 29, 2004 VPGC began processing turkeys.
The farmers that make up the cooperative have been growing turkeys for decades. Many of these farms have been passed down through generations. Today the only difference is they grow an even better turkey and the farmers keep the profits.
10:53 ROFLMAO Idiot. This is someone who doesn't understand economics 101.cc
11:22-I've forgotten more about economics than you could ever hope to know 11:22.
You are brainwashed and desperately need to get out more.
It's not rocket science. When a so called major employer of any area pays 80+% of it's employees well below poverty level wages and/or employs a large number of foreigners on guest workers visa the local economy suffers.
There are no if's and's or but's about it.
These people are not purchasing homes and are not making any other major purchases.
When you have independent meat processors/slaughter houses in an area growers are able to keep their profits instead of it going to the middle man know as the label. Farmers growing independently are making 10 times or more money than those under contract. More people making more money means a better economy all around. Again-It's Not Rocket Science!
It also means more money for the community in other ways such as less people on the welfare roles and less people dependent on charitable organizations who can better use donations for the whole community.
So please do yourself and your family a favor, get out and educate yourself. I'd like to say I'm ROFLMAO but the fact stands it's sad how completely ignorant you are and you obviously have no clue about "economic 101" nor economics period!
1:49 is correct.
I just happened to visit a long time friend who is a farmer in another state earlier this summer.
I started questioning after seeing the cost of housing in this virtual no man's land.
You can't touch a decent home for under $300,000 and I'm talking a 3 bedroom 1970's rancher on 1/4 of an acre that hasn't been upgraded at all.
She explained that the area is prosperous due to them managing to keep out the cafos, as she called them. These are farmers who are under contract and raise a lot of animals on a little bit of land which is really factory farming.
She explained that the whole area extending into another state exists exclusively of independent farmers and real true family farms.
She mentioned the "trickle down effect" and how because of the farmers there are many other jobs created that feed off of farming such as feed stores.
Even the Safeway was noticeably different from others in the Northern Virginia area that I frequent. Since most people in this farming community frequent the Mom and Pop butcher shops and produce stands, the local Safeway had a small meat and produce section but really large areas devoted to pet food and supplies and wine.
She told me that the independent farmers aren't eligible for farm subsidies either so they don't rely on them nor do they need them. The reason is something to do with keeping commodities prices higher and only those under contract with a large food corporation are eligible.
Besides paying peanuts to growers and workers it's another way the large companies sponge off of tax payers.
She also told me that her kids have traveled to UMES for farming seminars and workshops and have been told over and over by local chicken farmers that they would love to move to another area but are so in debt due to huge mortgages on their chicken houses making them feel like indentured servants. They can't say anything about wanting a little more money because their contracts will be can cancelled and they have to work and so does their spouse just to keep afloat.
I'm a fan of both Rand and Ron Paul and they've been saying the same things my friend told me.
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