Pursuant to the authority in Title 2 of the Oklahoma Statutes, Section 2-4, the State Board of Agriculture hereby states that there shall be a suspension on the acceptance and processing of registration applications by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry for poultry feeding operations.  The suspension shall be effective October 8, 2018. This suspension shall continue until the Board determines the Coordinating Council on Poultry Growth has had adequate opportunity to analyze the current poultry growth issues in Oklahoma and the Board is sufficiently informed on the issues related thereto.

“At the present time, there is only one application pending,” Secretary Reese said. “Therefore we find it timely to pause and temporarily suspend accepting applications.  The board intends to take into consideration the work of the Coordinating Council on poultry growth and determine if a more structured plan can accommodate neighbors, communities, and the poultry industry.  ODAFF is supportive of the poultry industry and its expansion, we hope this pause allows for discussions to avoid yet another ‘boom and bust’ impact that Oklahoma knows so well.”