Earlier this month, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation announced its critical
legislative issues for 2014. These are the issues Governmental Relations staff
believe will be at the forefront during the next year's General Assembly. These issues are also discussed at Senatorial
District meetings, regional legislative briefings for legislators held across
the state during November and December. Here are three of those issues with
remarks from members of the Virginia Farm Bureau Legislative Committee, who
identified these issues as critical. If
you are a producer member and would like to attend your region's Senatorial
District Meeting, please contact your Field Services Director for dates and
locations.
In
case you missed Part 1: http://vfbplowsandpolitics.blogspot.com/2014/11/vfbf-legislative-committee-comments-on.html
Biosolids
Virginia
Farm Bureau urges legislators to:
- Maintain state oversight and regulation of the application of biosolids and industrial residuals as a source of nutrients on farmland
“When
handled appropriately, biosolids is a safe product. Organic matter makes the
soil better which benefits farmers. Landfill space is becoming limited and will
cause problems down the road. We can avoid this by recycling waste, which makes
a beneficial fertilizer when it is safely applied.” –Lynwood Broaddus, Caroline
County
Right to Farm Act
Virginia
Farm Bureau urges legislators to:
- Protect the Right to Farm Act in its current form by only supporting changes that are preferable to the farmer and provide further protection from nuisance lawsuits
“Every
year legislation is introduced in the General Assembly that weakens the Right
to Farm Act and gives more control over local farms to local government. We, as
farmers, need to stay vigilant on any legislation that will hamper our ability
to farm.”- Thomas Graves, VFBF Legislative Committee Chair, Orange County
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