Source: Wall Street Journal

Continued economic challenges in rural America have turned ugly with efforts to poach farm operations from states with stricter rules on animal confinement.

Pork Magazine posted a podcast with Republican Idaho state Sen. Tim Corder who plans to introduce new animal care legislation to help lure chicken farmers to relocate from California. Corder says he is focused on finding a work-around to thwart tougher animal cruelty and factory farm regulations advocated by the Human Society of the United States.

The Wall Street Journal explores the farm poaching effort further:

In Idaho, where there’s currently little poultry production, Doug Manning, economic-development director of the town of Burley, said he wanted to offer incentives to poultry farmers as a way to increase jobs and tax revenue in the area. He has heard from a few California farmers who “are looking at some options,” Mr. Manning said. “We said, ‘When you’re ready, give us a chance.’ ”

Idaho is no stranger to California farmers. In the past decade, the state has attracted scores of dairy farmers from California seeking cheaper land and less regulation.

Mr. Corder, Republican chairman of the Idaho Senate’s Agriculture Affairs Committee, has been pushing an animal-cruelty bill that distinguish between companion animals — such as cats and dogs — and production animals like chickens, hogs and cattle. The proposed law would also give Idaho’s agriculture department full authority over farm-animal welfare. Now, law-enforcement agencies have some jurisdiction over such matters.

Mr. Corder also is drafting a proposal to update state rules governing how large farms win business permits. He said the current rules needed to be tailored to specifically accommodate poultry farms.

“We know that … some of the chicken operations are looking toward Idaho,” said Mr. Corder. “We wanted to be very proactive and make sure our statutes could resist efforts” by animal-rights activists and provide “a place where [farmers] can continue to be profitable, while protecting the environment for Idaho.”