Friday, October 4, 2013

residential impact of poor urban farming ordinance


After reading an article, “Urban farms with slaughterhouses not suitable for single family zoning,” by the Editorial Board at the Austin American Statesman, I was left on the fence line about in that I agree with most, but not all of the authors’ side. When it comes down to the current urban farms ordinance that states urban farms can raise chickens, one would assume that if you are raising chickens, there will come a day when you are to slaughter and clean the chickens in an effort to be self sustainable. However, the lack of specification of restrictions, (or lack there of) in the current ordinance seems mindless in my opinion. 
In specifying that slaughter houses be permitted in the ordinance, so long as restrictions are specified as well would indeed be an improvement and the thought of The Planning commission standing deaf to the objections of homeowners is wrong and needs to be addressed. Is The planning commission to simply out rule any slaughtering of chickens in residential neighborhoods? Not without a strong wave of opinion from the other side. Do we as individuals not have the right to raise and grow our own food? To know where and how it was raised?
I do however agree with the Editorial Board in that “a commercial slaughterhouse goes too far.” I say , though, commercial slaughterhouse. As far as slaughtering and cleaning chickens that an individual has raised on his own farm, it’s all part of self-sustainability. But what is sustainable about a commercial “urban” slaughterhouse?
“a commercial slaughterhouse goes too far.”

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