Local reps criticize proposed dairy legislation

Yahoo

2 days ago

Upstate Democratic and Republican lawmakers are coalescing in their efforts to block proposed legislation that would limit the size of dairy herds in New York.
'Although I don't believe this ill-conceived legislation will reach the floor for a vote this session, I will continue to vehemently oppose it,' said state Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake).
Jones is one of four upstate Democratic lawmakers which jointly issued a news release Monday opposing the legislation which Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) and Sen. Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn) introduced to prohibit the state Department of Environmental Conservation from issuing permits for new or expanding farms which seek to have herds of 700 or more dairy cows.
State Assemblyman Matt Simpson (R-Lake George) and state Sen. Dan Stec (R-Queensbury) also oppose the legislation.
'This bill is yet one more unnecessary and misplaced piece of agenda-driven legislation that will add to Albany's constant top-down pressure to make it impossible for our state's hardworking farms to compete,' Simpson said, in an e-mail Tuesday.
Simpson said the proposed legislation could force more North Country farmers out of business.
'Obviously, I oppose this asinine legislation. A new regulation limiting the number of livestock is the last thing New York's farmers need,' Stec said, the ranking Republican on the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, in an email on Tuesday.
Stec agrees with Jones that the legislation, introduced in March and currently under consideration in the Environmental Conservation committees of both houses, likely will not reach a vote of the full Senate or Assembly this session.
At the heart of the debate is what defines a 'factory farm' versus a 'family farm.'
Rosenthal and Brisport said that large herds increase agriculture runoff which pollutes streams and lakes, causing toxic algai blooms which can make people or animals sick.
Rosenthal and Brisport also said that methane emitted from large herds increases greenhouse gasses which contribute to climate change.
Jones, however, said that many New York dairy farmers have had to increase the size of herds in order to be financially solvent.
'Being raised on a family dairy farm myself and representing many hard-working dairy farmers in the North Country, I know firsthand how misguided this proposed legislation is,' Jones said.
Rosenthal and Brisport said the legislation is intended to crack down on the proliferation of 'large-scale factory farms' in New York, a challenge some say does not exist in the state.
A 'factory farm,' also known as a concentrated animal feeding operation, is an industrialized farm in which large numbers of animals are kept primarily indoors in order to minimize operating costs.
Rosenthal and Brisport said that a study by Food and Water Watch, a national organization which advocates on food security and climate change issues, found a 21% increase in farms in New York between 2017 and 2021.
'These large-scale factory farms are often run by large corporations that squeeze out local competition to maximize profits,' the sponsors wrote in the justification section of the proposed legislation.
Opponents of the legislation said herd size is not the only consideration in categorizing a factory farm.
'I represent over 1,400 family farms. … Some of these family farms have more than 2,000 head in their herd,' said Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake), one of the three other Assembly Democrats who joined with Jones in the joint news release.
Farms which currently have more than 700 cows would not have to reduce their herd sizes, but would not be able to increase their herd sizes further, under the proposed legislation.
The other two upstate Democratic Assembly members which joined in the news release are Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Donna Lupardo (D-Endicott) and Assemblywoman Marie Butteschon (D-Marcy).
At the federal level, U. S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) and Democratic congressional candidate Blake Gendebien both criticized the proposed state legislation to limit the size of dairy herds.
'New York Democrats must stop their attack on multi-generational, locally-rooted dairy farms that feed families all across our state,' Stefanik said, in a news release.
Stefanik has said she is considering seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2026.
'New York City Dems don't get agriculture,' Gendebien posted on his campaign Facebook page on May 30, inviting the sponsors of the proposed legislation to visit his dairy farm at Lisbon, in St. Lawrence County, to gain a better understanding of agriculture issues.
Gendebien said in a telephone interview on Tuesday he is not surprised that upstate Democrats and Republican are united in their opposition to this particular legislation.
'We need farms of all sizes. They are all important,' he said.
Gendebien, a Democratic in the 21st Congressional District in 2026, said the trend toward larger herds is due to multiple siblings or other relatives partnering to achieve economy of scale in their operations.
Larger herds are necessary because the price-per-pound of milk has not kept up with inflation, he explained.
Gendebien said his herd is currently 500 cows, but he will need to expand the herd in the future in order for his three sons to come into the business when they are adults.
As well, farms will need to increase production to provide milk for a new Chobani yogurt plant being developed at Rome and two other dairy product plants planned for western New York, he said.
Gendebien said there are virtually none, if any, corporate farms in New York.
Of some-450 New York and New England farms he communicated with when he was a board member of Agrimark, the cooperative that makes Cabot and McAdam cheese, not one was owned by a corporation, he said.
Gendebien said that dairy cows are treated humanely in New York, whether free to roam in pastures or confined in barns with ample room to move around and adequate cooling and heating systems.
The Adirondack Council has not taken a position on the proposed legislation, said John Sheehan, a spokesman for the regional environmental group.