May 29, 2025
Two New York City Democrat state lawmakers are working to limit the number of cows a farmer can have, to a total of 700 cows. Below is what several Republican elected officials say about that.
FROM ASSEMBLYMAN PHIL PALMESANO: “This is just another example of downstate one-party rule imposing overregulation on upstate communities, as if the devastating Farm Labor Act wasn’t enough. This will do nothing but cause more dairy farms to leave the state, many of which are family farms, resulting in a hit to our economy. I think sometimes my downstate colleagues forget where their food comes from. They need to remember that if there are no farms, then there is no food,” said Palmesano.
FROM STATE SENATOR TOM O’MARA: “It’s the latest in a longstanding tradition of ill-informed, misguided, outrageous, and ridiculous proposals coming out of a state government now dominated by one-party, New York City-based leaders and interests. It continues to show a complete lack of understanding and calls for government overreach that would have a devastating impact on our rural, upstate local economies where the dairy industry has long been and must remain a mainstay.”
FROM STATE SENATOR GEORGE BORRELLO: “This bill is yet another example of out-of-touch NYC lawmakers trying to dictate how rural New Yorkers live and work. Banning new CAFO permits would cripple farm growth, hurt family-run dairies, and slam the door on future generations of farmers.
These aren’t corporate giants — they’re local, family-run businesses that support our communities, sustain rural economies, and feed our state. Undermining them doesn’t just threaten jobs — it threatens the security of our entire food supply chain.
And yet, New York City lawmakers who’ve never set foot in a barn think they should dictate how our state’s dairy industry operates.
If Assemblywoman Rosenthal and Senator Brisport want to understand agriculture, I invite them to spend a day on a real dairy farm. Until then, they should stop trying to legislate farm policy from 300 miles away and a world apart.”
FROM CONGRESSWOMAN ELISE STEFANIK: “Kathy Hochul and NY Democrats have engaged in a multi-year attack on New York farms causing a mass exodus of small businesses and farm closures across our great state. Unlike Kathy Hochul, New Yorkers understand that agriculture is the backbone of our state’s economy and the accessibility and affordability of nutritional food for families. New York Democrats must stop their attack on multi-generational, locally rooted dairy farms that feed families all across our state. The Democrats’ latest anti-farm bill would block new permits for dairy farms in our communities and dismantle our healthy, natural food supply. New Yorkers are proud to be recognized as an agricultural powerhouse as a state, and I will continue to fight for hardworking farms and all the New York families that consume our local agriculture products.”
