Camden, Ohio (Preble County)

[Stephie-Pie]

Yes. The bill is disguised as a protections bill but it functions as a bill limiting animal ownership to people with only XL large properties or explicitly zoned agriculture (think row crops and CAFOs and large scale dairies). Having looked at ordinances for a LOT of townships outside of the major suburban areas around where I live this will pretty much kill small farms, sustainable living plots, etc. all across the state. Plenty of small farms operate with, say 5 goats and a small flock of chickens on 3 acres in areas where 30% of the properties are developed residential. That's a LOT of people in semi-developed Ohio areas and a majority of small animal breeders. Almost all of the chickens I've bought have been from properties that would violate this law including heritage breeds, rare breeds, and breeds on livestock conservancy lists.

It's very deeply concerning.

I suppose I am confused about the whole thing.. If these farms are currently not violating any laws, doesn't that section of the bill protect them?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I suppose I am confused about the whole thing.. If these farms are currently not violating any laws, doesn't that section of the bill protect them?

No. There's a difference between something being legalized and not illegal.

For example. It's not illegal for me to dance a conga in my front lawn dressed in hulahoops and a tutu. But it's certainly not LEGALIZED. Nothing protects my right to do this either.

If a bill passed on the state level saying "it's illegal to conga in hulahoops but it's OK to do it if the city says you can", it becomes illegal. A city must then pass a law legalizing that activity for it to remain legal in their area.
A great example of this on a larger scale is marijuana laws. Regardless of your feelings on it, it's illegal on a federal level, so anywhere you go weed is illegal, unless you live somewhere like Oregon that has specifically legalized it. Illegal is the federal default, legalizing is a specific action that must be taken to make that different.

This law changes the state level default for livestock ownership from "no restrictions" to "Legal within these restrictions unless a city says otherwise". Much like a federal law on a drug changes it from "legal" to "illegal unless a state says otherwise".

Most of these farms are currently Not Illegal because there's no need to regulate it but the farms are not Legalized.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Incidentally, @Fishychix @Stephie-Pie the clarifying text is on line 256.

"Division (B)(4) of this section does not apply to a person if a local government, by law, allows the number of units of small livestock kept, harbored, bred, or maintained on a parcel of residential property to exceed a ratio of one small livestock unit per one acre of residential property, and the person is in compliance with that law. "