A new Vermont law passed this year limits municipal zoning regulation of farms to those on four acres or less, thereby exempting a hog farm in Orleans Village owned by Tom Wood, whose property spans five acres.
The Town of Barton filed a lawsuit against Wood last year claiming his farm violates local zoning bylaws. Wood countersued, citing the state's right-to-farm law as protection for his operation.
The legislation was prompted by a Vermont Supreme Court ruling from an Essex Junction case that allowed municipalities to regulate some agricultural operations in village centers and high-density neighborhoods. However, the final version of the bill carved out an exemption for farms larger than four acres, leaving Wood's five-acre property untouched.
Residents of Orleans Village had hoped the miscellaneous agriculture bill would address concerns about odor, waste disposal, and rodent control from the farm. The four-acre threshold dashes those hopes.
NEK will be looking into the origin of the four-acre threshold and whether similar exemptions apply to other village farms in the region.
Originally reported by Newport Daily Express.
Photo: Beth D via Unsplash. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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