New regulations on where large confined feeding operation farms can be located in Bartholomew County will be going into effect. The County Commissioners approved the new rules yesterday after almost a two year process of hearings and a split set of recommendations from a committee that looked into the issue.
The new rules will make it harder to build a confined feeding operation near a school, church or home lot. Jeff Bergman with the city county planning department explains the major changes:
Ultimately, the commissioners adopted the rules recommended by the majority of that committee.But the new rules did not go far enough for those who wanted larger setbacks and who were concerned about health effects from the feeding operations.
Although the commissioners talked about rejecting the new rules, and defaulting to the previous 100 foot limits, they ultimately agreed to tighten the rules. A confined feeding operation will still be a conditional use and require approvals and hearings before it can proceed.