State Lawmakers From NYC Float Bill to Ban Dairy Farms From Expanding Beyond 700 Cows

ALBANY — Two state lawmakers from New York City want to ban dairy farms from expanding beyond 700 cows, a move they say would help protect the environment and preserve small, family-owned dairy farms.

On Thursday, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, and Senator Jabari Brisport, D-Brooklyn, introduced a bill that would bar the state Department of Environmental Conservation from issuing new Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation permits for large-scale dairies. A CAFO permit is required for any dairy with more than 300 cows, but the large-scale permit is required for any operation with more than 700 cows. CAFOs are also issued for farms with 2,500 ore more pigs or 1,000 or more veal calves, but a vast majority of CAFO permits in New York go to dairy farms.