The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
(Cite as: 12 V.S.A. § 5751)
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§ 5751. Legislative findings and purpose
The General Assembly finds that agricultural production is a major contributor to
the State’s economy; that agricultural lands constitute unique and irreplaceable resources
of statewide importance; that the continuation of existing and the initiation of new
agricultural activities preserve the landscape and environmental resources of the
State, contribute to the increase of tourism, and further the economic welfare and
self-sufficiency of the people of the State; and that the encouragement, development,
improvement, and preservation of agriculture will result in a general benefit to the
health and welfare of the people of the State. In order for the agricultural industry
to survive in this State, farms will likely change, adopt new technologies, and diversify
into new products, which for some farms will mean increasing in size. The General
Assembly finds that agricultural activities are potentially subject to lawsuits based
on the theory of nuisance and that these suits encourage and could force the premature
removal of the farmlands and other farm resources from agricultural use. It is the
purpose of this chapter to protect reasonable agricultural activities conducted on
the farm from nuisance lawsuits. (Added 1981, No. 68, eff. May 1, 1981; amended 2003, No. 149 (Adj. Sess.), § 12, eff. June 3, 2004; 2025, No. 61, § 1, eff. July 1, 2025.)