North Carolina SB 639: North Carolina Farm Act of 2025.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 5
SENATE BILL 639
Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee Substitute Adopted 4/30/25
Judiciary Committee Substitute Adopted 5/6/25
Finance Committee Substitute Adopted 5/7/25
Fifth Edition Engrossed 6/17/25

Short Title: North Carolina Farm Act of 2025. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 26, 2025
*S639-v-5*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO MAKE VARIOUS CHANGES TO THE AGRICULTURAL LAWS OF THIS 2
STATE. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
5
AGRICULTURAL WATER PLAN UPDATE 6
SECTION 1.(a) The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall update 7
the Strategic Plan for Protecting Agricultural Water Resources in North Carolina established in 8
S.L. 2010-149 to include all of the following: 9
(1) Water infrastructure needs to increase access and long-term storage capacity. 10
(2) Water conservation and reuse practices. 11
(3) Cost-share assistance needed to incentivize (i) construction of water 12
infrastructure to increase access and long-term storage capacity and (ii) 13
implementation of water conservation and reuse practices. 14
(4) Methods to identify best management practices for temporary water storage 15
and retention to mitigate downstream flooding. 16
(5) Methods to identify best management practices to reduce the impact of 17
flooding on agricultural lands. 18
(6) Methods to design incentive programs to compensate landowners that 19
participate in flood mitigation programs. 20
SECTION 1.(b) The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall report 21
to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic 22
Resources by October 1, 2026, on the development of the plan and any legislative changes needed 23
to implement the plan. 24
25
FERAL SWINE WORKING GROUP 26
SECTION 2.(a) There is authorized and housed administratively within the Wildlife 27
Resources Commission the Feral Swine Working Group. The Working Group shall consist of 10 28
members, as follows: 29
(1) The Executive Director of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources 30
Commission or the Executive Director's designee, who shall serve as cochair. 31
(2) The Commissioner of Agriculture or the Commissioner's designee, who shall 32
serve as cochair. 33

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 639-Fifth Edition
(3) The Forest Supervisor of the United States Forest Service or the Forest 1
Supervisor's designee. 2
(4) The State Director of the Wildlife Services Division of the Animal and Plant 3
Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture or 4
the State Director's designee. 5
(5) A representative of the North Carolina Pork Council. 6
(6) A representative of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association. 7
(7) A representative of the North Carolina Cattlemen's Association. 8
(8) The President of the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc., or the 9
President's designee. 10
(9) A representative of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. 11
(10) A representative of the North Carolina Forestry Association. 12
SECTION 2.(b) The Feral Swine Working Group shall develop a statewide plan to 13
control feral swine damage on private and public lands. The Feral Swine Working Group shall 14
act in an advisory capacity to the Wildlife Resources Commission. In developing the plan, the 15
Working Group shall do all of the following: 16
(1) Orient the plan primarily toward public health and safety and toward 17
landowner assistance, providing some relief to landowners through feral 18
swine control, management, and eradication. 19
(2) Develop a system for sharing data and information as well as documenting all 20
activities associated with feral swine damage control efforts, so as to facilitate 21
evaluation of efforts. 22
(3) Provide educational activities as a part of the program, such as printed 23
materials, on-site instructions, and local workshops. 24
(4) Provide for the hiring of personnel necessary to implement feral swine damage 25
control activities, administer the program, and set salaries of personnel. 26
SECTION 2.(c) No later than January 1 of each year, the Working Group shall issue 27
a report to the Wildlife Resources Commission, the Senate and House Appropriations 28
Subcommittees on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources, and the Fiscal Research 29
Division on the results of the program during the preceding year. 30
SECTION 2.(d) The Wildlife Resources Commission shall implement the plan and 31
may enter a cooperative agreement with the Wildlife Services Division of the Animal and Plant 32
Health Inspection Service, the United States Department of Agriculture, the North Carolina 33
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and other relevant agencies or organizations 34
to accomplish the plan. 35
36
ALLOW DENIAL OF SPECIAL USE PERMITS FOR NEGATIVE IMPACT ON 37
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION 38
SECTION 4. G.S. 160D-705(c) reads as rewritten: 39
"(c) Special Us