JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Measures advancing in the Missouri Legislature would limit the scope of rules that local governments can slap on large animal feeding operations.
House lawmakers voted 101-42 Thursday for a bill the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports would give county sheriffs and federal or state agencies the exclusive right to inspect them.
Missouri Rural Crisis Center lobbyist Brian Smith says Republican Rep. Kent Haden’s proposal would mean that counties cannot enforce health ordinances or zoning laws over certain farms.
Another bill by Republican Sen. Mike Bernskoetter would ban counties from enacting rules that are “more stringent” than state regulations. The proposal would prevent counties from regulating where livestock facilities are built and from adopting rules to reduce hazardous smells.
Opponents say emissions from the large farms pose health risks for neighbors.
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