The most recent legislative session in Georgia resulted in several laws being passed that will benefit the state’s poultry industry, Georgia Poultry Federation (GPF) President Mike Giles said.
Giles, speaking during the Georgia Precision Poultry Farming Conference on May 6, gave an overview of several issues for which the federation successfully lobbied.
Hurricane relief
When hurricanes hit in 2024, there were devastating damages and losses “to many agricultural sectors, including poultry,” said Giles.
Since many chicken houses were destroyed by the storms and new ones would need to be built, the federation suggested to Gov. Brian Kemp that the industry could get some relief if sales taxes for building materials to be used for poultry house construction would be eliminated.
Legislation related to that suggestion passed, Giles said.
Truck weight limits
Giles reported that Georgia’s state government officially changed the weight limits for trucks hauling live poultry and feed from 84,000 pounds to 88,000 pounds.
Two years ago, the GPF lobbied for the increase, which was granted on a temporary basis. The law that allowed for the higher weight limit was to sunset at the end of June 2025.
“Legislation that we supported this year was to take that sunset away to make it permanent, and we were successful with that,” said Giles.
“The increase was 4,000 pounds, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you consider a percentage of the net payload, it’s a very significant percentage that allows us to take fewer trips, use less fuel, emit less greenhouse gasses, and just be overall more efficient.”
Tort reform
On a broader business front, Giles reported success in bringing forward tort reform, that involved a plan to bring some balance to court cases that involve a plaintiff and a defendant in the business that are sued in court.
“There was a big coalition of business interests that supported this, along with our governor and House and Senate, and that was passed this year, and the governor has signed that legislation,” he said.
