On Wednesday, the North Carolina Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy and Environment voted to give a favorable report to the North Carolina Farm Act of 2025, sponsored by state Sens. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson; Lisa Barnes, R-Nash; and Norman Sanderson, R-Pamlico.
“We do this to correct things being corrected and to address issues that quite frequently come up,” Steve Troxler, commissioner to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), said during the committee meeting.
The bill contains 19 sections, each briefly explained by Jackson, its primary sponsor.
The Farm Act, SB 639, updates and reforms environmental safeguards, regulatory practices, and policies governing the state’s agricultural industry. The bill requires the North Carolina NCDA& CS to update its strategic water plan, which was last revised in 2010. Real-estate sales must also disclose their proximity to agricultural districts, and special-use permits for projects that may cause undue harm to agricultural production can be denied. Additionally, the bill repeals a swine farm violation point system and makes technical updates to farm-siting regulations and cost-share eligibility for animal-waste fertilizer programs.
SB 639 promotes youth engagement in agriculture by requiring schools to excuse students participating in agricultural or equestrian events. Pender and New Hanover counties are added to the high-hazard burn list and the Pesticide Board to make adjustments to annual assessments. The bill also expands the authority of the agriculture commissioner over the liquid petroleum gas safety inspections and recalls. Additionally, a study on low-hanging communication lines has been reinstated. The bill also instates a tiered penalty system for shellfish aquaculture violations. The Forest Service’s law-enforcement jurisdiction is expanded to improve enforcement without burdening local agencies.
“These law enforcement officers being at the Mountain State fair, the State Fair, and DuPont Forest probably come in contact with about 2.5 million people a year,” said Troxler. “So they’re contacting a quarter of the size of the population of North Carolina, and especially at the fairs and DuPont forest, things happen that they need to be able to act with full authority, so that’s what this is about… We are now using them as full law-enforcement officers, and they need that jurisdiction.”
The bill also increases the penalties for repeated crop larceny violations, making them a felony and designating a minimum fine of $500. Liability protections for pesticide manufacturers are introduced, and a rebuttable presumption against inefficiency claims is established unless specific proof is provided. The bill repeals provisions allowing raw milk distribution for personal use, following findings that avian flu can be transmitted through unpasteurized milk. These are the major topics addressed in the bill.
“We’ve been dispensing raw milk in North Carolina with a wink,” continued Troxler. “Pet food; we all know that’s not what’s happening, but now even cats that are being fed raw milk are dying because they are more susceptible to highly pathogenic avian influenza.”
Troxler explained that it’s already been confirmed that the live HPAI virus has been detected in raw milk. This doesn’t mean that people drinking raw milk right now will immediately contract HPAI, but it does increase their exposure to the virus. More importantly, it provides the virus with an opportunity to mutate. This virus has already mutated multiple times, and the concern is that eventually it may become more adapted to the human body. If that happens, it could be proven to be highly problematic.
“I think the time is now to restrict the sale of raw milk in North Carolina, and it’s nothing but a public health issue and economic issue for the small farmers doing it,” concluded Troxler, saying insurance companies won’t cover the costs associated with illness from raw milk.
John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson laid out a free-market case for allowing raw milk in an editorial for Carolina Journal, saying, “Every day, North Carolinians walk into grocery stores and buy raw chicken, pork, and beef — foods that, if mishandled, pose real health risks. Yet no one seriously proposes banning them. Instead, we trust consumers to be informed and responsible. That same logic should apply to raw milk, and the inconsistency deserves scrutiny.”
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