Family gets deadline for farm animal removal

[tangent4ronpaul]

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Family-gets-deadline-for-farm-animal-removal-4379037.php



WILLIAMSTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A mid-Michigan family has less than a week to get rid of goats, chickens, pot belly pigs and rabbits from their property or face a lawsuit.

Jeremiah and Jessica Hudson of Williamston Township near Lansing have until Friday to comply with the order, township attorney Gary Bender told WILX-TV (http://bit.ly/YiYSdl ).

The couple and their five children, ages 2 to 11, moved from Lansing last year to keep farm animals. They said they moved because her children have food allergies and they wanted access to goat milk and affordable eggs.

But one of their new neighbors complained. The Williamston Township board voted this month to take legal action to force the removal of the animals from Jessica Hudson's 1.5-acre Sweet Peas Farm. The board cited a local ordinance that prohibits farm animals in an area zoned for single-family homes.

The family moved into the R-1 zone, where animals such as goats and pigs aren't allowed, Bender said.

However, Jessica Hudson said she is not giving up the animals and that the family is protected under the federal Right to Farm Act.

"I guess, I have to take them to court for them to listen," she said of township officials.

News of the battle spread online, where donors have pledged $12,000 to support the family's legal dispute, Jessica Hudson said.

___

Information from: WILX-TV, http://www.wilx.com or www.wilxtv.com

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Family-gets-deadline-for-farm-animal-removal-4379037.php#ixzz2OOD3DlDB

If anyone wants to offer to adopt some animals, or at least chicken sit while this goes through court or offer to donate for legal fees, you might contact them or their lawyer. They are located just east of Lansing. If you do this, though be nice and offer to share goats milk and eggs.

-t

[jim49er]

They want to do what? http://i.imgur.com/XViKGtN.jpg

[tangent4ronpaul]

Who is they and what is what?

It's going to court - both ways. The family may need to get the animals off their property to avoid huge fines or the animals confiscated and killed till the legal fireworks are over.

-t

[angelatc]

I belong to a group called Backyard Chickens, and the Right To Farm law is always being challenged here in Michigan. I don't know the history, but apparently localities were trying to impose regulations on farmers in their boundaries, and the legislature wrote the RTF law with a clause that says localities can't regulate farming operations. Additionally, the supreme court of Michigan ruled in a similar case that a farm is any place that commercially produces a product useful to humans. (Note that means you have to sell eggs, chickens, or maybe chicken poop, which is reported to make great fertilizer.)

The intent of the law was probably never to allow everybody and anybody to keep livestock in their yards. But interpreted as it is written, it does, as long as they're trying to sell something that's produced.

The lawyer in the story seems to think the law doesn't apply because the property wasn't grandfathered in as a farm, but there are precedents that say otherwise. In fact, so far, everybody I've seen go to court in that thread has won.

If anybody wants to sort through the minutiae, this is a good but long thread about other people's experiences: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/182280/michigan-right-to-farm-law-what-does-it-mean

[jim49er]

Who is they and what is what?

It's going to court - both ways. The family may need to get the animals off their property to avoid huge fines or the animals confiscated and killed till the legal fireworks are over.

-t
The "Who" is the Local gov going crazy and not respecting private property and the "what" is who knows what's next thus the shocked dog.
yea lame try sorry lol

[tangent4ronpaul]

I wanted to get some chickens and a goat for fresh eggs and goats milk/cheese. (apparently you can't make cheese from pasteurized milk and I think yogurt is a problem too - but it's all pasteurized now unless you can find raw milk in a health food store or direct from a farmer).

Unfortunately, the county has a rule saying no livestock unless you have at least 2 acres and I don't have that much. Talked to a guy running for county council about this and he said he was really surprised how many people had brought up wanted to keep chickens.

He didn't win, but had promised to try and change the rule if he did.

Hope he runs again!

-t

[tangent4ronpaul]

This thread should probably live in Freedom Living. SA?

-t

[angelatc]

I wanted to get some chickens and a goat for fresh eggs and goats milk/cheese. (apparently you can't make cheese from pasteurized milk and I think yogurt is a problem too - but it's all pasteurized now unless you can find raw milk in a health food store or direct from a farmer).

Unfortunately, the county has a rule saying no livestock unless you have at least 2 acres and I don't have that much. Talked to a guy running for county council about this and he said he was really surprised how many people had brought up wanted to keep chickens.

He didn't win, but had promised to try and change the rule if he did.

Hope he runs again!

-t

If you are in Michigan, and you don't mind a pissing match with local authorities, then you need to read the thread.

[angelatc]

Who is they and what is what?

It's going to court - both ways. The family may need to get the animals off their property to avoid huge fines or the animals confiscated and killed till the legal fireworks are over.

-t


Other courts have ordered the localities to pay the loser's expenses.

[tangent4ronpaul]

If you are in Michigan, and you don't mind a pissing match with local authorities, then you need to read the thread.

MD

-t

[seraphson]

Nice. Will she get a prorated reduction in her serfdom/property tax for the loss of income she would have generated?

*rimshot* (you don't own property in the USSR, you just pay taxes to make you think you own property!)

[fr33]

you don't own property in the USSR, you just pay taxes to make you think you own property!)

I'm going to tweet that without referencing you. Here have a +rep.

[oyarde]

I would consider that an offensive attack on my person.