Idaho move towards poultry industry regulation shift

State Sen. Tim Corder is proposing legislation that would move regulation of the poultry industry from the Department of Environmental Quality to the Agriculture Department.

Corder, R-Mountain Home, has been working with poultry industry representatives, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and Idaho State Department of Ag to move the poultry legislation forward.

Poultry operations already exist in Idaho, but he expects the industry to grow as environmental and animal-welfare regulations tighten in other states, particularly California.

"The potential for expansion in the very near future is very real. We want to be prepared if that happens," he said.

Poultry operations can have several million birds, he said.

Hy-line North America, which hatches eggs and supplies day-old laying chicks to the commercial egg industry, already operates in Burley. That facility has a capacity of 26 million laying chicks per year, said Mike Privett, location manager.

Two other 42,000 laying-hen operations, Birch Creek Producers and Gillette Farms, have been approved for Cassia County, and another 40,000 hen operation, Freisen Farms, is being proposed for Jerome County.
While poultry is in the title of the existing regulatory law that gives DEQ regulatory authority, rules were never established.

Corder's proposal would move all oversight from DEQ to Agriculture and provide permitting, fee and inspection processes.

Matt Thompson, owner of AgTec Engineering, has some poultry clients and has been working with Corder.

"We think, eventually, for an industry to grow here, there has to be more state oversight to work with counties," he said.

Corder said counties can have their own regulations and do have siting authority, but his bill would provide overall state regulation and inspections and counties wouldn't have to have their own ordinance for such things as bonding and remediation.

Curt Fransen, DEQ deputy director, said the agency was comfortable with similar legislation Corder proposed last year and supportive of moving the poultry program to the Agriculture Department.

Pamm Juker, the Agriculture Department's communications director, said that agency will support whatever the Legislature decides to do.

Corder said he hopes to introduce the bill early in the session and expects a lot more discussion in the Legislature. It will also have to provide public assurance that the Agriculture Department is capable of performing the inspections and that the industry is being regulated.

Any legislation will have to assure the public that facilities are safe and that environmental provisions are in place if a facility should close, he said.

Corder proposed similar legislation last year that included the pork industry. The so-called ham and egg bill passed the Senate, but was held up in the House of Representatives.


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