A municipal right-to-farm ordinance is a requirement for CADB preservation, according to its director, Katherine Coyle.
Prior to addressing the ordinance, the planning board worked on a parking ordinance and firmed up requirements for parking at farm stands to be incorporated into the right-to-farm law.
Farm stands will be required to provide five off-street parking spaces.
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During its last discussion of the ordinance, the township committee incorporated state sanctioned definitions for livestock and the State Agricultural Development Committee, Board Attorney Brian Burns told the board. Density requirements for livestock are set by the county for all animals except horses. The density for horses is set by the state Equine Act, Burns said.
The CADB weighed in on the proposed ordinance, Burns said, removing a provision requiring manure piles to be sprayed for insects twice a week. Farmers will be required to take “reasonable effective measures to minimize the breeding of flies and vectors on fomites (a fomite is defined as “an inanimate object that may be contaminated with infectious organisms and serve in their transmission”). Generally, manure must be kept in a closed container on a concrete pad and kept dry.
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The right-to-farm ordinance provides for different requirements for fences in the agricultural overlay zone. In the rest of the township, fences up to 6-feet are allowed. For prevention of wildlife damage, electric fences in the overlay zone are be 7 feet and high tensile woven-wore fences can be up to 10 feet high.
The board also set a 25-foot setback for all livestock and restricted animals on a farm to those classified as livestock.
Silage pits must be more than 100 feet from the property line and should be bunkers with covers and tires weighing down the cover.
Lighted signs must be turned off within a half-hour of closing. The same is true of lights for the public areas.
Any seasonal outdoor area operated by a farm must be 25 feet from the road and can operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.
A provision allows for 10 percent of the lot area to be covered by greenhouses.
The township committee must review these changes before introducing the ordinance.
