General Assembly passed several agriculture-related bills this year
The General Assembly passed several pieces of legislation affecting agriculture during the 2007 session. Here is a summary of the bills:
- House Bill 487 exempts baler twine from sales tax, effective Oct. 1.
- House Bill 589 authorizes civil penalties for violations related to poultry products inspected by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, effective Oct. 1.
- House Bill 590 includes animal exhibits at agricultural fairs in the definition of agritourism activities for purposes of limiting legal liability related to inherent risks of the activity. The change took effect in June.
- Senate Bill 738 allows fertilizer spreaders to operate on highways without registration and increases allowable width for cotton module haulers. The change in law took effect July 1.
- House Bill 862 updates the Plant Protection and Conservation Act and authorizes the Plant Conservation Board to set fees for permits. The changes take effect Dec. 1.
- Senate Bill 1465 generally prohibits any new construction of hog waste lagoons, and provides grants for conversion of lagoon systems to new and innovative systems. The changes took effect July 1.
- Senate Bill 1272 exempts biodiesel produced by an individual for his own use from the motor fuels tax, effective Oct. 1.
- House Bill 1499 makes property tax and present use value changes for aquaculture operations by reducing the minimum acreage requirement from 10 to five acres, or 20,000 pounds of annual production regardless of acreage. The changes took effect in August.
