The Linn County Board of Commissioners has amended a setback rule for industrial farms to only apply to chicken ranches rather than other livestock operations, correcting what commissioners described as a misunderstanding.
During a public hearing June 20, commissioners voted 2-1 to amend the rule, which set limits on applications for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
Under the rule, originally passed Dec. 12, 2023, farms must have a one-mile setback between livestock buildings and nearby residences if applying for a new or renewed permit for a large CAFO.
While the policy did not specify a type of livestock, a press release from the county that day said the rule impacted “large-scale chicken farms that produce millions of birds per year.” The release also noted the activities of Scio-based residents who “adamantly opposed” such chicken CAFOs locally.
The setback limits were allowed under a slate of CAFO reforms passed last year in Salem empowering counties to set such restrictions. Linn County was the first in Oregon to do so.
During a meeting May 14, commissioners said they had been made aware the policy applied to more than chicken farms and impacted all types of livestock. They voted that day to re-open the public comment period for the setback rule and consider possible revisions.
Among their concerns, commissioners said they don’t believe the same setbacks should apply to all livestock given the differences in how chickens, cattle, pigs and others are raised.
Written public comment was accepted June 11 – 17, and during the June 20 hearing no oral testimony was accepted.
Supporters of the setback, such as Scio-based Farmers Against Foster Farms – who pushed for the rule’s original passage, – called on activists to speak out in favor of preserving the setbacks as passed. Groups such as the Oregon Farm Bureau claimed the rule would effectively ban new dairies, auction yards, feedlots and similar facilities in Linn County and sought its repeal.
Cmmissioners Roger Nyquist and Will Tucker voted in favor of amending the rule, Commissioner Sherrie Sprenger was opposed. Sprenger said a one-mile setback would have negative financial impacts on farmers, and ultimately on food prices. She was in favor of reducing the setback to 0.75 miles.
Tucker said farmers have the option to apply for a land use variance if they struggle to comply with the one-mile setback, which would be considered based on the merits of a specific site.
