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HEARING - Agriculture Department, on behalf of the Hemp Ad Hoc Advisory Committee, recommending the Board approve an urgency Ordinance 5138 extending an interim 45-day 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, for ten months (10) and fifteen (15) days.
FUNDING: N/A
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On December 15, 2020 the Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance 5137 imposing a forty-five-day moratorium on the cultivation of industrial hemp for all purposes within the unincorporated area of the County, including cultivation by a hemp breeder or by an Established Agricultural Research Institution, while County staff determines the impact of unregulated cultivation of hemp and develops reasonable regulations to mitigate those impacts. The purpose of this interim urgency ordinance is to extend that temporary moratorium for ten (10) months and fifteen (15) days pending the adoption of an ordinance regulating industrial hemp. This interim urgency ordinance is adopted pursuant to California Constitution Article XI, Section 7, and Government Code Section 65800 et seq, particularly Section 65858 and other applicable law.
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 ...
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