Maybe a ranch topic, maybe not, definitely political, but I'm putting it here.
Maine has decided to change the laws on chicken processing, they have a proposed set of rules for the legislature to vote on then I am very opposed to. As it stands now, anyone killing less then 1000 birds is exempt from needing certain facilities. They can have a license to process on the farm and sell from the farm, at farmers markets and I believe to restaurants. The new law wants to test their water, require a septic tank or sewer hookup, and here's the bad part, a two room facility. One room for killing, one for processing, stainless steel surfaces and everything.
A friend sent a letter to one of the papers about this which included contacts for the State employee in charge. I not so nice email about the direction the state is going. This is a direct opposition to the local food movement and is trying to change something that's been done for centuries. Anyway, come to find out that State employee contacted one of our Senators because they are under pressure from the Federal government to do this, so it turns out that this is actually a State's rights issue.
"Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people." ~Henry Kissinger