House Overrides Veto of N.C. Farm Act in a Blow to Individual Rights and Public Health

(RALEIGH, NC) The North Carolina House of Representatives voted today by a margin of 74 to 45 to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 711, a bill that rewrites the state’s public nuisance laws to impose significant new restrictions on the ability of individual property owners to defend their rights in court.

“The ‘Farm Act’ takes North Carolina backwards. It strips families of the ability to defend their rights to clean air, clean water and a healthy place to live and work.

“Working alongside farmers, agriculture groups and agribusinesses in North Carolina, we have been making progress toward solutions that advance a strong agricultural economy and protect natural resources and public health. The nuisance provisions in Senate Bill 711 will only serve to further divide communities and undermine this progress.

“We are deeply troubled by today’s outcome, but also profoundly grateful for the leadership of the Governor and state legislators from both sides of the aisle who, in opposing this bill, demonstrated their commitment to protecting the rights of all North Carolinians.”

• David Kelly, Senior Manager, North Carolina Political Affairs