State lawmakers from NYC float bill to limit size of dairy farms

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.

Recently, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, and state Sen. Jabari Brisport, D-Brooklyn, introduced a bill ( A06928 ) 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.