03/02/07 Bills of ag interest pass state House

Washington Ag March 2, 2007 Legislation strengthening Washington's Right to Farm Law was one of several bills passed this week by the House of Representatives in Olympia and passed on to the Senate. A recent State Supreme Court case ruled that a Yakima area farmer was not protected against a nuisance lawsuit from a neighbor because he had switched from growing apples to cherries. House Bill 1648 corrects that. Also passed by the House was 1888 which will allow the state's vegetable seed industry to protect itself from potential contamination from canola production, which may expand due to biofuels demand. A person who intentionally kills or harms a horse or cattle without consent of the owner could face an unranked class B felony under House Bill 1775 which also cleared the lower chamber. Representative Bill Hinkle of Cle Elum, prime sponsor of the bill, says the measure also allows livestock owners to bring a civil action for damages and attorneys' fees. This type of incident is something Representative Joel Kretz of Wauconda has personnel experience with. Kretz: "We had somebody come through, we had locked gates, somebody hiked three miles past about 40 other horses to come right into my yard to shoot my wife's favorite horse." The bill does not apply to slaughterhouses or meatpacking facilities. I'm Bob Hoff.