Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Thursday, November 10, 2016
photos/EverythingWestport.com except as
noted
Agricultural Commission debates
potential tenant farming regulations.
AG's Enforcement Action
Bolsters Case for Legislation to Protect Pollinators.
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No ‘kumbaya’
here folks. EverythingWestport.com Monday, November 7, 2016 No ‘kumbaya’ here folks. Animal advocates, selectmen, board of
health, and police department investigators seek mutual understanding and
resolution to the American Legion Highway animal abuse case . Westport Det. Jeff Majewski
is frustrated over what he has stated is a lack of action by the town’s Board
of Health, a complaint echoed by some town residents and animal abuse
advocates. Selectmen are more cautious and are
concerned with avoiding expensive litigation and lawsuits as responsibility
for the mess up on 465 American Legion Highway is uncertain at best, and
muddied by vague lines of responsibility for farm animal oversight. And the wheels of action move slowly through
a town government structured with elected boards, state-appointed municipal
animal inspectors, and a right-to-farm community with no clear lines on
tenant farm regulations. Couple this with the Massachusetts Division
of Animal Health that appoints blame rather than exercising a hands-on
approach in adjudicating animal abuse allegations, and you have a
prescription for disaster. Where common sense once succeeded,
rhetorical activism deprived of facts or reason prevails. The only thing everyone agrees on is the
tenant farm situation that exists on 465 American Legion Highway should never
happen again. Select Board Chairman R. Michael Sullivan
took a big step in reigning in pandemonium by setting expectations as to how
the town will move forward. Agricultural
Commission debates potential tenant farming regulations. EverythingWestport.com Monday, November 7, 2016
Special Correspondent to
EverythingWestport.com WESTPORT – The Westport Agricultural
Commission is working with other town officials in an effort to develop some
local regulations for tenant farming operations, aimed at preventing future
animal abuse cases such as the ones discovered at a tenant farm off Rt. 177
this summer. The commission was represented at the first meeting
of the town “task force” looking into potential animal health regulations
that would apply to tenant farmers by member Lee Tripp, and will take part in
future deliberations by the informal group, AgCom
Chairman Ed Ferreira said at the commission’s last meeting. The working group includes Town
Administrator Tim King, Animal Control Officer Donna Lambert, Building
Commissioner Ralph Souza, and representatives of the Agricultural Commission,
the police department, and other town agencies. The group’s formation was
prompted by July’s investigation of the 70-acre property at 465 American
Legion Highway, which has over 20 tenant farm plots where hundreds of dead
and neglected animals were removed by the Animal Rescue League of Boston. A police investigation of possible animal
cruelty charges is still underway, and dozens of animals removed from the
property have been sold off, sent to sanctuaries, or remain on a temporary
holding facility at a Pine Hill Road farm. It is the same site where the
similar discovery of animals living in deplorable conditions in 2010 prompted
a town-wide uproar over the rental properties.
Above: Westport Agricultural Committee meets to discuss possible recommendations
for limiting animal abuse conditions by tenant farmers. “They are trying to come up with some kind
of plan to deal with the problems” of tenant farms, not currently addressed
by town health regulations or zoning bylaws, Ferreira told fellow
commissioners at the October 12th meeting. “They’re looking for a way to
police them without being overly restrictive,” he suggested. Requirements for yearly permits for
part-time tenant farmers, minimum animal care standards, quarantines for sick
animals, and stricter inspection standards were among the topics discussed by
the informal town committee at its first meeting, he indicated. Much of the discussion at the AgCom meeting focused on whether the town or the state
Department of Agriculture is responsible for ensuring that animals on such
tenant farms are being properly cared for. The local Board of Health has been
strongly criticized in the last few months for not being aware of the
problems at the site, which its state-appointed animal inspectors visit each
year. But commission member Karl Santos, also a
member of the elected Board of Health, said that town animal inspectors
conduct annual census reports of livestock on local farms, and report any
cases of sick or abused animals to the state agency for investigation. “All
we are is the eyes and ears for the state,” he suggested. Inspectors from the Department of
Agriculture have been regularly visiting the American Legion Highway site
since 2010, but have never reported any problems to the local Board of
Health, Santos said. “There have been inspections of that site
by the state” for years, but the board cannot get any information about those
inspections from state officials, Santos indicated. He believes the last
visit was six to eight months before the current abuse cases were reported in
July. “The MSPCA (Mass.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was there in 2015, too,”
Santos added. The lack of reports on those regular visits by
state inspectors is also frustrating for the Ag Commission, which has also
tried to get information on the site from the Department of Agriculture
without success, Ferreira said. The discussion about the lack of cooperation
from the state ended with a commission vote to ask State Rep. Paul Schmid to
help them secure a meeting with the state agency to get some answers to
questions about recent state inspections, and exactly what role local animal
inspectors are supposed to play in cases of reported animal abuse or neglect.
Commission member Ron Potter suggested that
the town should not adopt any new livestock regulations until it is clear
what the town’s responsibilities are in cases involving tenant farmers. “How much
responsibility is the town going to assume for the state?” he asked. State inspectors regularly operate in the
area, checking livestock brought to local auctions, and all animals exhibited
at the Westport Fair summer, he noted. He said the town needs to look into
what the state inspectors are responsible for, and then start looking at ways
to fill in the gaps on the local level. Newly appointed commission member Carole
Mann suggested that some health ordinances on the local level are needed,
especially dealing with tenant farms. At present, the Board of Health’s
animal regulations only deal with horses and pigs, she pointed out. At the very least, she said tenant farmers
should be required to register with town officials. “Some kind of regulations
are needed for tenant farming” in town, she said. Potter noted that the commission had
recommended that property owners should be held responsible for tenant
farmers after the 2010 case came to light, but the suggestion was not pursued
by town officials. Ferreira said he still believes landowners should be held
responsible for what takes place on their property. Ferreira said the commission will continue
to talk about ideas for future local regulations at upcoming meetings, and
provide input to the town task force working on the problem. Drift Road resident Jon Alden suggested that
too many local agencies are involved in animal welfare issues – including the
Board of Health, its municipal animal inspectors, and the Animal Control
Officer working under police department control – “but none of them have
total responsibility for farm animal welfare.” He felt that the Board of Health should be
the primary agency responsible for matters concerning the health and welfare
of animals kept in town. However, he also questioned whether volunteer local
(municipal) animal inspectors with little experience and even less
compensation and training in animal health issues be asked to make judgement
calls about whether an animal is sick or being properly cared for. “State animal inspectors should be
available to the town to assist in judgement calls on farm animal care
issues,” Alden said. “These qualified and full-time employees of the state
are respected by local authorities, and are directly responsible to the MDAR Division of Animal Health, the only governing
authority for farm animal health. Ferreira noted that several residents with
experience in farming and animal care have expressed an interest in applying
for the local (municipal) animal inspector positions.
In other business at their last meeting, the
AgCom expressed its support for the Winter Farmer’s
Market being planned at the Town Hall Annex for five dates this fall,
organized and funded by the Westport Economic Development Task Force. Inset: Maury May (center) promotes
the upcoming Winter Farmer’s Market to AgComm
members. Task force vice chair Maury May said that up
to 16 booths will be set up in the annex gym from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays
between November 19th and December 17th, offering local fruits and
vegetables, crafts and prepared foods. Vendors will pay $50 for all five dates, and
a $75 license from the Board of Health will be required for anyone selling
processed foods. Westport Planning Board proposes tightening up the new
farm entertainment bylaw. Above: Town Planner Jim Hartnett
presents recomendations for tightening up the town’s agri-tourism bylaw
passed at last year’s annual
town meeting. The commission also received a set of
Planning Board recommendations for changes to the agri-tourism
and farm entertainment bylaw approved at a recent town meeting, presented by
Town Planner Jim Hartnett. The proposed changes include a requirement
that agricultural production be the primary use for
sites offering agri-tourism opportunities and
entertainment, which would be considered accessory uses to farming
operations. Other provisions would require 25 percent of any products sold to
the public through such accessory operations be produced onsite, and 50
percent of such products originate in Massachusetts, as required by state law
for agricultural operations. The petition article approved by town
meeting is “fairly permissive” and needs some clarifications to be
effectively enforced, Hartnett suggested. AG's Enforcement Action Bolsters Case for
Legislation to Protect Pollinators. EverythingWestport.com Thursday,
November 10, 2016 (BOSTON)
– Following a settlement between AG Maura Healey's environmental
unit and Bayer CropScience, legislators
are renewing The
AG's action highlighted the mounting evidence that this type of pesticide is
contributing to an alarming global decline in bee populations. "This
settlement is yet another indicator of the growing consensus that these
pesticides pose a threat to pollinators. It also underscores the
need to pass legislation that limit neonicotinoid use and ensure that
consumers are informed about risks,” said Representative Dykema. “I appreciate the leadership of the
AG's environmental unit in holding Bayer accountable for the environmental
impacts of these products and highlighting the mounting evidence that they
are harmful to bees." Bayer
CropScience, a division of Bayer AG, the
world’s largest agrochemical company and one of the largest global
manufacturers of pesticides, has agreed to pay $75,000 and change its
advertising practices to resolve allegations that the company misled and
deceived consumers about the potential risks its neonicotinoid-containing
pesticides pose to bees and the environment. The settlement was announced by
the Attorney General's office yesterday. . “This
company made numerous misleading claims to consumers about the safety of its
products, including falsely advertising that they were akin to giving ‘a
daily vitamin’ to plants, when in fact, they are highly toxic to honey bees
and other pollinators in the environment,” said Attorney
General Healey. “This groundbreaking settlement will promote truth
in advertising for consumer products that expose bees to harmful pesticides
and will increase awareness about the risks these pesticides pose to bees and
other pollinators essential for food production. “This
settlement shows just how important the conversation around pollinator health
continues to be here in Massachusetts and I look forward to continuing the
dialogue on pollinator health next session,” said Representative Paul Schmid,
House Chair of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources, and
Agriculture. “This is an important step towards protecting pollinators so I
want to thank the Attorney General, and her entire environmental unit, for
their leadership on this issue.” “I
applaud the efforts of Attorney General Healey for taking the initiative,
once again, to protect the citizens of the Commonwealth,” said Representative
Paul McMurtry. “This significant settlement
recognizes the important role bees play in our agricultural economy and their
need for a healthy, thriving and robust ecological system.” “As a
legislator and a beekeeper I am excited and grateful that the Office of the
Attorney General has taken action on these pesticides,” said Representative
Mary Keefe. “This will help protect not only bees but all parts of our
Massachusetts ecosystem because they are so entwined and
interdependent.” "It's
very important that we pass legislation that reverses the decline in bee
populations because pollinators are critical to our agriculture, for plant
reproduction, and for our food production," said Senator Jamie
Eldridge. "There's clear scientific evidence that pesticides such as
neonicotinoids are harmful to pollinators, and I have asked the EPA to work
aggressively to protect bees and other pollinators from pesticides." Pollinators
are responsible for roughly one-third of our food supply and contribute as
much as $27 billion to the U.S. economy annually. Many crops in Massachusetts
rely primarily on pollinators, such as cranberries, apples, and peaches. Many
pollinators, including managed and wild bees as well as butterflies and
birds, are in great peril. From 2014 to 2015, Massachusetts beekeepers lost
nearly 46.4 percent of their hives with more losses in the summer than the
winter. An EPA review of imidacloprid, the most
prevalent neonicotinoid pesticide, found a clear link between proximity and
amount of exposure and toxicity to bees. Several
legislators filed bills in the current legislative session which seek to
address concerns raised by use of neonicotinoid pesticides, including H.4187, An Act relative to pollinator health
filed by Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston). In
July, a bipartisan group of 60 legislators signed a letter of support for H.4187, which would require labeling on all neonicotinoid
products and neonicotinoid-treated seeds and plants and restrict the use
of neonicotinoid products to only licensed and trained users. © 2016 Community Events of Westport. All
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