Talbot County looks into restrictions on food processing residuals

EASTON — Restrictions on the storage of food processing residuals are in the works for Talbot County.

The county’s Planning Commission and County Council held a preliminary work session Tuesday to discuss regulations for the residuals, which are animal waste from the food processing process.

Earlier this month, Caroline County passed a bill to restrict the storage of the residuals, which are often referred to as dissolved air flotation, or DAF, residuals. It came amid significant resident complaints of the noxious odors and bugs that stemmed from farming operations keeping the product in storage tanks.

Talbot County is looking to the neighboring county and hoping to be proactive.

“We think we need to get ahead of it,” Planning Commission Vice Chairman Chip Councell said. He noted that Caroline and Wicomico counties were “behind the eight ball” in enacting legislation.

Councell said he met with the Talbot County Farm Bureau regarding potential restrictions.

“I think they would like to see some restrictions put on it, one being that any type of food residuals storage would have to be enclosed, so it couldn’t be open-air,” Councell said. “The storage of it would have to be used in that agricultural operation. A farmer couldn’t store it for everybody in the neighborhood. He could store it for his operation only, so there wouldn’t be commercial storage.”

Councell clarified the county would focus on the storage of the residuals, not the land application. State legislation that went into effect July 1 created a formal permitting process for the usage of food processing residuals.

“There’s a few bad actors out there that, frankly, I think see profit potential with handling the material,” said Alan Girard, advocacy director at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, during Tuesday’s meeting.

While Wicomico County banned the storage of residuals, temporary storage for 45 days is allowed. In Caroline County, storage is allowed once a permit is acquired, as long as the storage tank has a closed top.

Councell said the 45-day allowance may be adjusted once the legislation begins to be drafted.

“I think 45 days might be a little bit tight,” Councell said.

At the end of the work session, Planning and Zoning Director Brennan Tarleton said discussion of potential DAF legislation will be added to the Planning Commission’s agenda in November.