Farms win support from lawmakers

Times Argus
Article published Mar 23, 2007

MONTPELIER — A bill designed to promote the continued viability of the state's farms easily won preliminary House approval Thursday despite concerns about whether poultry slaughtered in uninspected facilities should be served in restaurants.

That provision was designed to help restaurants get more local chicken and turkey for their customers even though there's a severe shortage of slaughterhouses for all farmers, particularly those raising poultry.

But many lawmakers and Gov. James Douglas worried that the policy also could jeopardize public health because the birds could be slaughtered on the farm or in facilities where there are no health inspectors ensuring that the work was being done properly.

"I'm extremely scared to death of E. coli," said Rep. James Fitzgerald, D-St. Albans, referring to unhealthy bacteria.

The proposal called for farmers who slaughter without inspection fewer than 1,000 birds a year to be able to sell their chicken and turkey to restaurants and at farmers' markets. Current law permits them only to sell the poultry directly from the farm.

Another provision of the bill authorizes the state Agriculture Agency to purchase and operate a mobile slaughterhouse that poultry farmers can hire for their farms.

The problem for some farmers is there are not enoughinspected poultry slaughterhouses to handle the demand. So it's difficult for people to buy locally produced poultry except by going directly to farms.

"Restaurant owners want to buy from local producers," said Amy Shollenberger of Rural Vermont. "There's a shortage of inspected facilities in the state. Even with a mobile unit, that won't serve all the producers."

Rep. Carol Hosford, D-Waitsfield, said there's a demand at local restaurants for local food, including poultry, and they would be willing to comply with a requirement in the bill that they label offerings on their menus if they were selling uninspected birds.

"The chicken raised locally looks better, it tastes better, it smells better," she said. "Let's support or local small farmers."

Rep. John Rodgers, D-Glover, said he'd grown up on a farm where his family slaughtered most of its own meat. He said slaughtering can be done carefully and safely. "Any of these chicken processed on the farm are going to be far better than on a large commercial operation," he said.

Nonetheless, there was concern that contaminated meat could prove a public relations nightmare. "I can almost see the headlines," said Rep. Philip Winters, R-Williamstown. "If something unfortunate should happen, headlines would be there: 'Vermont is serving uninspected poultry.' And it would be a big headline."

A bid to delete the provision allowing the uninspected meat to be served in restaurants was defeated 65-22 and the overall bill went on to win unanimous approval.

Besides the poultry provision, the bill would promote the purchase of local foods by state government and would establish a network for institutional food purchasers to work with local producers. The bill also seeks reports on ways to reduce workers' compensation costs for farms and asks the state to study buying electricity from farm generators.

"Taken together, the provisions of this bill reflect the legislature's commitment to supporting a strong and diverse agricultural economy in Vermont," said Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho.