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HEARING - Agriculture Department, on behalf of the Hemp Advisory Committee, recommending the Board adopt an urgency Ordinance 5137 adopting an interim moratorium on the cultivation of industrial hemp for all purposes within the unincorporated areas of the County of El Dorado pending the study and development of reasonable regulations.
FUNDING: N/A
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Per the Board's direction of September 22, 2020, the Hemp Ad Hoc Committee held a Public Zoom Meeting on October 29, 2020 at 2:00pm. It was determined at this meeting that an Urgency Ordinance adopting an interim moratorium on the cultivation of industrial hemp for all purposes within the unincorporated areas of the county of El Dorado pending a study and development of reasonable regulations should be put in place to address the request of the Board of Supervisors. It is important to note that a registrant who was issued a registration in 2020 may finish cultivating industrial hemp consistent with the terms of that registration.
The Ad Hoc committee will continue to meet to develop the additional items addressed on September 22, 2020 including:
1) Developing recommendations regarding testing of industrial hemp;
2) Developing recommendations on issues such as zoning, parcel size, setbacks, registration limits, crop size limits, maximum acreage within the County, signage, track and trace harvested crops, or other restrictions;
3) Develop recommendations on new ordinances, or updating existing ordinances, addressing industrial hemp cultivation, industrial hemp plant breeders, industrial hemp nurseries and processing/manufacturing; and
4) Develop recommendations to create an administrative process for industrial hemp and provide best practices for the program by obtaining other counties best management practices and ordinances.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose not to create an ordinance under the direction of the ad hoc committee, or could direct other additions to the Hemp A...
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