Back on February 19th, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed HB 4118– a measure that offers protection to poultry growers from litigation as the result of application of poultry litter that is handled under a nutrient management plan approved by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.
The bill says “land application of poultry litter in compliance with a current Nutrient Management Plan shall not be the basis of criminal or civil liability in Oklahoma. ” It defines such a Plan as “a plan approved by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry and not yet revoked or rescinded by the state or suspended
by a more recent plan.”
That measure has moved to the Oklahoma Senate- and the Senate Ag and Rural Affairs Committee gave a “Do Pass” approval to the same measure by an eight to one vote on Monday, April first. The lead sponsor on the Senate side is the Chief Presiding Officer of the Oklahoma Senate- Senator Brent Howard of Altus.
Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays talked with Senator Howard after the Committee vote- saying he is pleased that it has cleared this next step after discussions with members of the Committee. Listen to their conversation by clicking on the Listen Bar below:
Senator Howard says this proposal is about “preserving the ability of our agricultural industry to be be able to continue their way of life without unnecessary or frivolous lawsuits being imposed as well as letting our agricultural producers be the stewards of their own land and the resources in that portion of the state.”
This measure focuses on the nutrient management plans found in parts of eastern Oklahoma- “a lot of this relates to the poultry growers and integrators…any of those located in the state have to have a nutrient management plan related to how they dispose of and/or scatter and integrate their chicken litter.” Senator Howard says there are groups who are opposed to raising of poultry in Eastern Oklahoma and this proposed bill protects “those who are following the rules and we want to give them assurances that they won’t see unnecessary lawsuits that will come against them from outside groups that aren’t really interested in protecting that agricultural industry.”
Senator Howard says the eight to one vote in the Senate Ag Committee is a result of several one on one conversations to dispel false statements about what this bill will accomplish- and he is hopeful that with more education with members of the Senate- it can be successfully passed on the Senate floor.
Howard says there are a lot of political groups who have joined as allies to oppose this bill and he says that when he has had one on one conversations about this measure that protects farmers who are doing the right thing in following a ODAFF approved nutrient management plan- most of the lawmakers he has talked to have come on board to support the House passed measure.
Back in February- Hays talked with the House author of the bill, David Hardin. Hear that conversation and read more in that story by clicking here.
