Page 119 - MFB State Annual Meeting 2018 -- RESOLUTIONS BOOK

148 participation on township boards and planning
149 commissions to review existing ordinances, help
150 educate about Right to Farm and GAAMPs, and assist
151 in the creation of ordinances that are consistent with the
152 Right to Farm Act. We encourage the state of Michigan
153 and local units of government to structure their
154 programs, ordinances and community development
155 plans in a manner consistent with the Right to Farm Act.
156 [Relocated text] We urge MFB to study and make
157 recommendations for amendment to the Right to Farm
158 Act that would provide additional protection to
159 agricultural producers enrolled in either PA 116 or a
160 permanent farmland preservation program.
161 [Relocated text] GAAMPs
162 [Relocated text]We support the continued use of
163 GAAMPs to define acceptable farm management
164 practices in the state of Michigan. We support a
165 cooperative effort among MDARD, Michigan Farm
166 Bureau, and other stakeholders to establish a definition
167 for “commercial production of farm products” within the
168 GAAMPs framework.
169 [Relocated text]GAAMPs should be viewed as
170 guidelines rather than statutory law, as they are
171 reviewed and updated annually to reflect current
172 agricultural practices. Consideration should first be
173 given to amending existing GAAMPs to address those
174 areas of concern, followed by investigation into creating
175 new GAAMPs if deemed necessary.
176 [Relocated text]The GAAMP for Site Selection and
177 Odor Control for new and expanding livestock facilities
178 has specific setbacks and scientific parameters. We
179 strongly recommend the Michigan Commission of
180 Agriculture and Rural Development remove the
181 language specific to local zoning from the siting
182 GAAMP .
183 [Relocated text]We are concerned about the
184 exemption of GAAMP applicability to municipalities with
185 a population of 100,000 or more.
186 [Relocated text]We urge greater producer
187 participation on all GAAMP Committees.
188 [Relocated text] Complaint Process
189 [Relocated text]The electronic complaint process
190 should include a complete description of the law,
191 including the process and implications for both verified
192 and unverified complaints. Following the official Right to
193 Farm visit, follow-up correspondence and appropriate
194 action shall be communicated to the farm owner and
195 the complainant in a timely fashion, including the ability
196 of MDARD to bring enforcement action against the farm
197 and/or the complainant.
State Policies – Page 33