Oklahoma ag board approves poultry farm setback rules

The Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture has approved a rule that will include setbacks for new or expanding construction of poultry barns.

Roy Graber Headshot
(Ivan Burchak | Bigstock)
(Ivan Burchak | Bigstock)

The Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture has approved a rule that will include setbacks for new or expanding construction of poultry barns. 

The measure passed by a 3-2 vote on February 9.

The rules approved Tuesday state poultry operations with 150,000 or fewer birds would be restricted from locating within 500 feet of an occupied residence, while those with more than 150,000 birds would be restricted from locating within 1,000 feet of an occupied dwelling, according to a report on the Norman Transcript website. Also, new and expanding poultry operations would be restricted from locating within 1,000 feet of a school or city limits; 150 feet from public highways or property lines; 200 feet from a water stream; 100 feet from private water wells; and 500 feet from public water wells.

“There are currently no regulations in place on any poultry housing locations; however, we recognize the importance of poultry in Oklahoma and also recognize the voices of concerned Oklahomans,” said Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma agriculture commissioner and president of the State Board of Agriculture. “These setbacks will help enhance the living conditions of citizens and also will continue to support the poultry industry, which has a large economic impact on our state.”

Arthur, in a press release, explained the two dissenting votes opposed the rules because they are against setbacks of any kind. They are concerned if setbacks are in place pertaining specifically to poultry, they could affect other agricultural industries in the future.

Although the vote was not unanimous, the new rules will move forward for approval by the legislature and by Gov. Kevin Stitt. If that approval is gained, rules will go into effect in September.

The rules approved on February 19 come after the board did not act on any rules on the matter during its meeting in December.

Poultry farms have been a topic of growing interest in Oklahoma because of a recent surge in new broiler farm operations, particularly in the eastern part of the state.

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