NYC Legislators Draft Plan to Limit Dairy Farms to 700 Cows
From the Office of Assemblyman Joe Sempolinski,
ALBANY – Assemblyman Joe Sempolinski is raising alarm over a bill introduced by two Legislators who represent New York City who want to limit the number of cows on dairy farms.
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, and Senator Jabri Brisport, D-Brooklyn, introduced a bill (A06928/S06530) that would ban dairy farms from expanding beyond 700 cows, a move they said would protect family dairy farms. Assemblyman Sempolinski said, in fact, it would do just the opposite.
“This bill was drafted by two Legislators from New York City who know nothing about dairy farming but are presuming to tell New York’s dairy farmers how to run their farms,” Assemblyman Sempolinski said. “The majority of New York’s farms, more than 94 percent, are family owned. This bill has the potential to devastate family farms across New York.”
Assemblyman Sempolinski joined other members of the Assembly and Senate who represent farming communities in condemning the proposal.
“With all due respect to my colleagues from New York City, this bill is dangerously misguided. It’s a breathtaking example of legislative overreach,” Assemblyman Sempolinski said. “It takes 60,000 cows per day to supply milk to the Great Lakes Cheese Plant in Franklinville. Family run dairy farms in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Steuben counties are supplying that milk. They clearly have never visited any of our large, family owned farms upstate.”
According to the New York Farm Bureau, dairy is the single largest sector of New York’s agricultural economy, contributing $3.9 billion every year. New York is the fifth-largest dairy producing state in the nation.
“Farmers are the cornerstone of our economy,” Assemblyman Sempolinski said. “Family farms, many of them run by the same family for generations, deserve a chance to grow and thrive. I oppose any legislation that threatens the economic vitality of this critical sector of our economy.”
The proposed bill would bar the Department of Environmental Conservation from issuing new Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFEO) permits for large-scale dairies. A CAFO permit is required for any dairy with more than 300 cows, but the large-scale permit is required for any dairy with more than 700 cows.
Assemblyman Joe Sempolinski represents the 148th New York Assembly District, which consists of all of Cattaraugus and Allegany counties and portions of Steuben County. For more information, visit Assemblyman Sempolinski’s website.
