[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town of Falmouth Special Town Meeting 4-5-2007,
Art. 13, approved 4-24-2007. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
The purpose and intent of this bylaw is to state with
emphasis the right to farm accorded to all citizens of the commonwealth under
Article 97, of the Constitution, and all state statutes and regulations thereunder
including but not limited to MGL c. 40A, § 3, Paragraph 1; MGL c.
90, § 9; MGL c. 111, § 125A; and MGL c. 128, § 1A.
We the citizens of Falmouth restate and reaffirm these rights pursuant to
the Town's authority conferred by Article 89 of the Articles of Amendment
of the Massachusetts Constitution, ("Home Rule Amendment").
B.
This general bylaw encourages the pursuit of agriculture,
promotes agriculture-based economic opportunities, and protects farmlands
within the Town of Falmouth by allowing agricultural uses and related activities
to function with minimal conflict with abutters and Town agencies. This bylaw
shall apply to all jurisdictional areas within the Town.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
Shall include a parcel or contiguous parcels of land, or water bodies
used for the primary purpose of commercial agriculture, or accessory thereto.
Shall include, but not be limited to the following:
Farming in all its branches and the cultivation and tillage of the soil;
Dairying;
Production, cultivation, growing, and harvesting of any agricultural,
aquacultural, floricultural, viticultural, or horticultural commodities;
Growing and harvesting of forest products upon forest land, and any
other forestry or lumbering operations;
Raising of livestock including horses;
Keeping and raising of poultry, swine, cattle, ratites (such as emus,
ostriches, and rheas) and camelids (such as llamas and camels), and other
domesticated animals for food and other agricultural purposes, including bees
and fur-bearing animals.
"Farming" shall encompass activities including, but not limited to,
the following:
Operation and transportation of slow-moving farm equipment over roads
within the Town;
Control of pests, including, but not limited to insects, weeds, predators,
and disease organisms of plants and animals;
Application of manure, fertilizers, and pesticides;
Conducting agriculture-related educational and farm-based recreational
activities, including agri-tourism, provided that the activities are related
to marketing the agricultural output or services of the farm;
Processing and packaging of the agricultural output of the farm and
the operation of a farmer's market or farm stand including signage thereto;
Maintenance, repair, or storage of seasonal equipment, or apparatus
owned or leased by the farm owner or manager used expressly for the purpose
of propagation, processing, management, or sale of the agricultural products;
and
On-farm relocation of earth and the clearing of ground for farming operations.
The right to farm is hereby recognized to exist within the Town of Falmouth.
The above-described agricultural activities may occur on holidays, weekdays,
and weekends by night or day and shall include the attendant incidental noise,
odors, dust, and fumes associated with normally accepted agricultural practices.
It is hereby determined that whatever impact may be caused to others through
the normal practice of agriculture is more than offset by the benefits of
farming to the neighborhood, community, and society in general. The benefits
and protections of this bylaw are intended to apply exclusively to those commercial
agricultural and farming operations and activities conducted in accordance
with generally accepted agricultural practices. Moreover, nothing in this
Right To Farm Bylaw shall be deemed as acquiring any interest in land, or
as imposing any land use regulation, which is properly the subject of state
statute, regulation, or local zoning law.
The following disclosure notification shall be posted in Town Hall and
on the official Town Website:
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"It is the policy of this community to conserve, protect, and encourage
the maintenance and improvement of agricultural land for the production of
food, and other agricultural products, and also for its natural and ecological
value. This disclosure notification is to inform buyers or occupants that
the property they are about to acquire or occupy lies within a town where
farming activities occur. Such farming activities may include, but are not
limited to, activities that cause noise, dust, and odors. Buyers or occupants
are also informed that the location of property within the Town may be impacted
by commercial agricultural operations including the ability to access water
services for such property under certain circumstances."
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A.
Any person who seeks to complain about the operation
of a farm may, notwithstanding pursuing any other available remedy, file a
grievance with the Board of Selectmen, the Zoning Enforcement Officer, or
the Board of Health, depending on the nature of the grievance. The filing
of the grievance does not suspend the time within which to pursue any other
available remedies that the aggrieved may have. The Zoning Enforcement Officer
or Board of Selectmen may forward a copy of the grievance to the Agricultural
Commission which shall review and facilitate the resolution of the grievance,
and report its recommendations to the referring Town authority within an agreed
upon time frame.
B.
The Board of Health, except in cases of imminent danger
or public health risk, may forward a copy of the grievance to the Agricultural
Commission which shall review and facilitate the resolution of the grievance,
and report its recommendations to the Board of Health within an agreed upon
time frame.
If any part of this bylaw is for any reason held to be unconstitutional
or invalid, such decision shall not affect the remainder of this bylaw. The
Town of Falmouth hereby declares the provisions of this bylaw to be severable.
