The Minnesota Pork Producers Association has been supporting the Ag Nuisance Lawsuit provision in the omnibus Ag Policy bill at the Minnesota Legislature. In a nutshell, the Ag Nuisance provision would protect a pork producer from lawsuits if it had been in operation for two years and was in compliance with all its permits. If the operation was expanded by more than 25 percent, the two-year window was open again for a lawsuit. The Ag Nuisance provision would have no affect on local feedlot requirements. Pork producers would still have to abide by all local setbacks and other local regulations.

The Land Stewardship Project was opposed to the Ag Nuisance provision. The organization met with Gov. Mark Dayton’s office late last week and indicated they “would not compromise their opposition at any level.” The governor’s staff then said the governor will veto any bill if it contains the Ag Nuisance language. David Preisler, executive director of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association, said this bill was a way of supporting good pork producers who were following all the rules and regulations of their permits. However, it appears like the Ag Nuisance protection has been killed for this session.