Maryland Issues Draft Requirements for Farm Animal Feeding Operations
Nutrient management plans are one of a number of agricultural conservation practices Bay Program partners are implementing to reduce pollution from farmland to the Bay.
September 2008 -- The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has published a draft general permit that would ensure the state’s largest poultry producers implement controls necessary to properly manage poultry litter and reduce nutrient pollution to the Bay and its rivers.
The proposed permit and regulations would cover at least 200 poultry farms and bring more than 50 percent of the state’s poultry litter under regulation by MDE. In another first, applications and plans for animal feeding operation permits would require public review.
Large poultry operations -- those greater than or equal to 100,000 square feet of chicken house capacity -- would be required to obtain permits. Medium poultry operations -- those between 75,000 to 99,000 square feet -- must formally certify they have either a comprehensive nutrient management plan or an updated nutrient management plan with a soil conservation and water quality plan.
A nutrient management plan is a written, site-specific plan that helps to reduce nutrient pollution while optimizing farm profits. Nutrient management plans are one of a number of agricultural conservation practices Bay Program partners are implementing to reduce pollution from farmland to the Bay.
Since 1985, Bay Program partners have achieved approximately half of their goals to reduce nutrients from agricultural lands.
To assist with meeting the new requirements, the Maryland Department of Agriculture offers farmers grants through its Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share Program. Funding may also be available through the Maryland Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund.
Visit MDE’s Web site for more information about the proposed permit and regulations, including a fact sheet and public comment hearing dates.