Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
27
Government Regulation
SINCE THE TIME WHEN
the first European homesteaders arrived in North America with
their livestock, the agricultural world has been completely transformed. When our fathers
and mothers, and theirs before them, kept the farms, most anyone, anywhere, could raise
and sell just about any type of livestock or food product they desired. In recent years, as
people sought work in urban areas and suburban sprawl overtook farmland, laws were
passed to restrict what a person could do on their own property.
Over time it has become increasingly difficult to raise poultry wherever you please.
Many cities have strict regulations prohibiting poultry of any sort. Many suburban com-
munities have adopted regulations that make poultry raising illegal because residents are
worried about livestock smells, noises, and diseases. In some cases, rural areas are as re-
strictive as inner cities.
The twenty-first century brought with it a slight loosening of some of these regula-
tions, and more progressive cities and small towns are now relaxing tight agricultural
zoning restrictions, adopting right-to-farm laws, and changing flock size limitations and
housing restrictions. It's now becoming easier for a person to have at least a couple of
hens in their backyard. Discrimination against roosters persists, but the outlook is bright-
ening for smalltime raisers wanting to use their properties in cities, towns, villages, and
suburbs.
National Animal Identification System (NAIS)
A few years back, in the interest of food safety, the U.S. Department of Agriculture pro-
posed a policy requiring anyone with any sort of livestock used for food to obtain a
premise number
identifying every animal and animal product produced on their prop-
erty. The outcome of this recent regulatory shift requires backyard raisers — even those
with only one rabbit or one chicken, and used only for family consumption — to identify
