Staten Island’s Asm. Pirozzolo Slams Anti-Dairy Bill: ‘This Is A Joke, Not Policy’
Pirozzolo Slams Anti-Dairy Bill: ‘This Is A Joke, Not Policy’
Editor’s note: Assembly Bill A.6298 says: “Prohibits the department of environmental conservation from issuing or authorizing any permits to new or expanding large concentrated animal feeding operations.”
According to Wikipedia: “In animal husbandry, a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is an intensive animal feeding operation (AFO) in which over 1,000 animal units are confined for over 45 days a year. An animal unit is the equivalent of 1,000 pounds of “live” animal weight.[1] A thousand animal units equates to 700 dairy cows, 1,000 meat cows, 2,500 pigs weighing more than 55 pounds (25 kg), 10,000 pigs weighing under 55 pounds, 10,000 sheep, 55,000 turkeys, 125,000 chickens, or 82,000 egg laying hens or pullets.”
Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R,C-Staten Island) today joined his fellow legislators and agricultural leaders to denounce Assembly Bill A.6928, legislation that would place a cap on the number of cows allowed on New York’s dairy farms, as an embarrassment to the state and a slap in the face to every hard-working farmer.
The bill, backed by New York City lawmakers, would effectively penalize growth in one of the state’s most important industries, dairy, which generates billions in economic activity annually and sustains thousands of jobs.
“This bill is ‘udderly’ ridiculous. We live in one of the most expensive, overregulated states in the country, and instead of making it easier for people to grow food and run a business, we’re now talking about limiting how many cows a farmer can have? It’s a joke, and not a funny one.
“Just because you don’t see cows on Staten Island, that doesn’t mean this doesn’t hit home. Every time someone in my district picks up a container of milk, a stick of butter, or a block of cheese, they’re depending on our New York dairy farmers. We should be doing everything possible to expand agriculture in this state, not shrink it. The only thing getting milked is going to be the taxpayers.
“Why wouldn’t we want more New York cheese on the shelves? Why wouldn’t we want our own farmers supplying our own communities? This bill is a perfect example of ideology running wild with no regard for economic consequences or common sense, by people who aren’t farmers and have no experience farming,” said Pirozzolo.
Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo represents the 63rd Assembly District, which encompasses parts of the North Shore, including Emerson Hill, Sunnyside, Bloomfield, Travis and Chelsea.
Banner Image: Cows at a factory farm. Image Credit – Annie Spratt
I think Sam is right. We should open up the market of cheese-making in NY State. Farming is cool. Cheeses are specialty products that people really enjoy. When they’re good, that is. Why not right here on SI? Some people are making their own mozzarella now. Why not make cheese-making a SI thing?
As far as the chicken waste thing in the editor’s notes, that is disgusting to exist and should be illegal.
Free range and organic poultry are not like that at all. You have to do your homework if you give a crap about what you are feeding yourself and your family. As far as beef, same is true. Or know the farm. Not every farm is the same. There are specialty markets, and you can get steaks sent to your doorstep from farms that are amazing. So you can’t paint a wide brush and say that. I agree that the way they run agriculture is gross but it is not every farm.
Yes. It is more expensive but I don’t think it’s a scam. Ever see an organic egg versus a regular commercial egg? The organic egg has way more orange color. Those are pigments that promote health. Think about that one.
I see the Editor’s Note has changed. The Rabbi’s news story is gone. Just for the record, the kind of high-end dairy we want isn’t going to be factory farming, it’s going to be boutique cheese.
Incidentally, my CAPTCHA code is ‘NOTE.” Now, I had only literally *thought* the thought of writing about the altered Editor’s Notes.
I know the Staten Islander isn’t watching me or reading my mind, unlike some of my fellow islanders who get on here and post comments.
But there is something. Maybe it’s synchronicity? Coincidence?
Any business for the state is good business.
Farms need workers.
That’s jobs and revenue. Cash. And, NYS needs something. This might be a good fit.
I would rather see farms kept strictly clean bc of disease and just bc the idea of eating meat that is processed in a cesspool upsets me a bit. 😐
If life made sense we wouldn’t really need a special category called ‘organic’ that means the food is actually food.
Why not develop both larger cheese places and high-end cheese farms, too? NYS is large. Why limit our dreams about cheese? I for one live on dairy. I love all cheeses. And, there are many.
Also, I have to say why punish farmers for having large farms?
Not every large farm is a s***hole. We need better regulations all around.
I am all for having organic but as farmer can do both.
With fewer cows, no choice.
I am also well aware that factory farms moved Americans off the farmlands, and the farms have been sold to foreign interests. We do have all those subsidies for farmers but it was the wrong approach. They needed to get with the times. Instead, they were just paid to throw away good food because it’s not what Americans wanted to eat anymore.
Adapt. But not ‘adapt or die.” I want to see all my fellow Americans make it. Not just one farmer.
So they needed to grow new and different crops. Get creative. Use more greenhouses. Grow one of the thousands of herbs.
Now with hemp, I feel farming may attract more young people. And that sector is creating a lot of jobs, no denying that part. So the state has hope, as far as farming goes.