UPDATE: Poultry Litter Management Act heard in Md. Senate

The Poultry Litter Management Act had its first legislative hearing on the Senate floor Monday.

The joint measure, sponsored by Senator Joan Carter-Conway and House Delegate Clarence Lam, was introduced in early February.

The act aims make poultry companies responsible for chicken manure, which environmentalists cite it as a major pollutant in the Chesapeake Bay.

In early February, Delegate Lam told 47ABC the measure would require a contract farmer to come up with a waste management plan. The plan would identify how much manure can actually be applied to fields and the excess would then be the responsibility of the companies they are selling poultry to.

A previous statement sent from Perdue Farms spokesperson Julie DeYoung in reference to the proposed measure explained the company voluntarily takes poultry litter from their contract growers.

47 ABC spoke to Mitch Jones, Senior Policy Advocate with Food & Water Watch, who explains Maryland taxpayers are subsidizing them to do so. An example from Food & Watch Watch includes flush fees, which are reportedly used to upgrade sewage treatment plants and septic systems.

“We want to see this become a statewide practice that is mandated by law and isn’t going to be dictated by the whims of a company deciding they want this litter.” Says Jones.

We’re told an official voting session on the bill could happen at any point now moving forward.