Mo. House backs measure on raising livestock

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House has endorsed a bill giving farmers what the measure calls "a right to raise livestock."

The measure states that farms and agriculture businesses only have to follow the laws that are in effect at the time they begin operations -- not those that are enacted sometime later.

House members gave the bill first-round approval Wednesday on a voice vote. It needs a second vote to move to the Senate.

The sponsor, Koeltztown (KELTS'-town) Republican Tom Loehner (LUHR'-nuhr), says farms and farm-related businesses need certainty about laws they must follow so that they can make long-term investments.

Critics say the proposal would create confusion for state agencies trying to enforce agriculture laws.

Loehner has proposed a similar constitutional amendment that has also been endorsed by the House.