The Kansas Senate has advanced a bill that sets guidelines for future poultry farms to be located in the state.
The bill, according to the Kansas State Legislature website, was approved on February 22 by a 29-10 margin.
Under Senate Bill 405, which was initially introduced in the Kansas Senate Ways and Means Committee, poultry barns in Kansas could not be closer than a quarter of a mile from an occupied home, excluding a homestead located on the same property with the chicken barns. The bill also would require farms with more than 125,000 broilers or 82,000 layers to obtain a federal permit.
While Kansas is presently not heavily involved in poultry production, the need for laws pertaining to poultry production became more relevant in 2017, when Tyson Foods announced plans to build a new poultry complex that included a poultry plant, feed mill and hatchery in the community of Tonganoxie, in Leavenworth County. Following public opposition and withdrawn support from elected officials, Tyson Foods backed away from its plans to build in Tonganoxie and instead announced plans to build in Humboldt, Tennessee. However, the company stated that it would continue to consider other locations in Kansas for future poultry complexes.
One of those elected officials from the Tonganoxie area that withdrew his support following the voicing of public opposition was Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City. Holland voted against Senate Bill 405, as did another Leavenworth County legislator, Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, R-Leavenworth.
While residents of Leavenworth County expressed that a major poultry complex was not wanted in their area, several other Kansas counties, including Cloud and Montgomery, have worked on proposals with the Kansas Department of Agriculture in hopes of luring a complex from Tyson Foods. None of the senators representing those two counties voted against the measure.
The bill had been given the endorsement by Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey, Kansas Farm Bureau, the Kansas Livestock Association and faculty members from Kansas State University.
The only Kansas senator to not cast of vote regarding Senate Bill 405 was Gene Sullentrop, D-Wichita, who was absent.
