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Sen. Howard Marklein, Rep. Travis Tranel and Rep. Gary Tauchen Introduce Livestock Facility Siting Legislation
Collaborative effort from agriculture and local government drafts bill

 
MADISON— State Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), Representative Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City) and Representative Gary Tauchen (R-Bonduel) circulated legislation to improve the livestock facility siting rules and statutes today. The bill was crafted by a collaborative effort between agriculture groups and local government associations.

“The rule revision process at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) last fall showed us that there were a couple of changes we needed to make to the rules process and statutes for livestock siting before the legislature adjourned,” Marklein said. “This legislation is a good step forward that will support agriculture while maintaining local government control and public involvement in the livestock siting process. This bill is a win-win.”

“Agriculture needs a predictable process to plan for expansions and growth of livestock facilities,” Tranel said. “But we also know that local governments need more support to participate in this process and the public must have a voice. This bill makes good changes to insure that every stakeholder has a role in the rules and siting process, while providing a much clearer framework for making these important decisions.”

“Drafting this bill was a true collaboration among agriculture groups, the Wisconsin Towns Association and the Wisconsin Counties Association,” Tauchen said. “It maintains current siting standards while setting a strong foundation for rule revisions with stakeholder input in the future. It also resolves the outstanding issues discovered during rule revision. It’s good policy.”
 
The Livestock Facility Siting bill maintains current standards in ATCP 51. It maintains the rule-making process for changes to ATCP 51, but makes several improvements in the rule-making process for all stakeholders.  The bill creates certainty and predictability for livestock siting timelines and fees. It provides relief for local governments in the application evaluation process, while maintaining local control.
 
The Livestock Facility Siting process is streamlined and the evaluation of siting applications is standardized through centralized, professional evaluation at DATCP by experts. Opportunities for public input are promoted as part of the livestock siting application process.
 
This bill was crafted with input from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Dairy Alliance, Wisconsin Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin Pork Producers, Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, Wisconsin Association of Professional Agricultural Consultants, Wisconsin Towns Association and Wisconsin Counties Association.